Will Christmas come early? Glory are looking to give fans the perfect gift
Wednesday 22nd December 7:00pm
Will Christmas come early? Glory are looking to give fans the perfect gift: a surprise three points against high-flying Adelaide!
What an opportunity to escape the pre-Christmas madness and focus on what really matters! The Hyundai A-League! It-s Perth Glory against Adelaide United in a Wednesday night showdown at nib Stadium and Ian Ferguson and his troops really want you to turn up and give them some Christmas cheer.
So get yourself a ticket today and get ready for Hyundai A-League action at its most exciting.While Glory-s season could do with a Christmas miracle or two, their home form has actually shown signs of improvement over the past few weeks.
Last weekend-s draw with Central Coast Mariners meant that they have only lost one in their last four home games in front of The Shed; a run which has included a magnificent 3-1 win over Melbourne Victory and that has, incredibly, kept them within touching distance of the top six.
Indeed, their last home game could, and perhaps, should have resulted in three points rather than the one they were forced to be content with.
After leading from the fourth minute, they battened down the hatches in the second-half and withstood some intense pressure from the visitors but, just when it looked like they-d done enough, a moment of controversy cost them two points.
Mariners- Dutch defender Patrick Zwaanswijk bundled the ball over the line three minutes from time. While it seemed that Glory-s Josh Risdon was fouled in the build-up, the goal stood. Still, heartbreak aside, a point against Mariners is not to be sniffed at, and further stopped the rot.
Their opponents, Adelaide United, will be hoping that their hosts are feeling in a particularly generous mood in the build up to Christmas, as they play one of their two games-in-hand on Brisbane Roar.
Therefore, offering a huge opportunity to make up ground on the leaders, this is perhaps one of The Reds- most crucial games of the Hyundai A-League 2010/11 season. Win, and they will have Roar looking nervously over their shoulders. Lose, and Brisbane will see it as a green light to accelerate unchallenged to the finish line.
In their quest to catch up with the only team that sits above them in the ladder, United have boosted their squad by signing Uruguayan midfielder Francisco Usucar until the end of the season.
While he won’t be eligible to play until the January transfer window opens on New Years Day, his new team-mates are sure to want to still be in the hunt for first place when he pulls on the red shirt. While fans will have to wait to get a glimpse of the new boy, they-ll hope a more familiar face will be back in the starting line-up. Defender Robert Cornthwaite was ruled out of Friday-s game against Heart with a hamstring injury, but aims to return for the big game in Perth.
Of the two meetings between the teams in the Hyundai A-League 2010/11 season, it-s United that have come out well and truly on top. Both games at Hindmarsh Stadium ended with the home side securing a 2-0 win. While it might seem like both victories were fairly comfortable, in truth, Perth gave good accounts of themselves on each occasion.
In the last game in November especially, Glory were in fact the better team until being reduced to 10 men, and even then were in with a shout of getting something until Sergio van Dijk grabbed the crucial second goal in injury time – his third against Glory this season. However, the manner of the performances, if not the score-lines, will give The Shed hope that they can pick up something against The Reds this time round.
As well as playing a huge roll in deciding who gains top spot at the end of the season, this game is vital to Perth Glory as they continually strive to get their season back on track. It-s going to be a Wednesday night thriller at nib Stadium, so get along and see how Glory fair against the possible Champions. Don-t miss it!
Click here to get your tickets to see Perth take on Adelaide
