Matt Comito was on hand for KEEPUP as Perth Glory’s “surreal” HBF Park homecoming unfolded on Sunday night.
A return home – but not a return to the norm.
That was the reality for Perth Glory as their first home game in 106 days played out in front of a capped crowd in a 2-1 loss to Adelaide United at HBF Park on Sunday afternoon.
MATCH REPORT: Adelaide spoil Perth homecoming in 2-1 win
For more than three months the Glory squad have been stranded interstate, due to Western Australia’s firm border restrictions designed to keep COVID-19 out of the state. They’ve set up camp in Queensland, Sydney, Victoria and Tasmania without the possibility of returning home – until Thursday, March 3 when the WA border to the world came down.
With the arrival of the Glory squad came preparation within the local community for the inevitable spread of the virus within the state – and the spectacle of the homecoming occasion suffered in due course.
But with all the external differences surrounding the game itself, Perth full-back Jack Clisby found solace in the “little things” that make playing at home so special for the players themselves.
Besides the joy of stepping back out on home turf at HBF Park, it was the familiarity of life at home – and the mundane nature of it all – which Clisby missed the most in more than three months on the road.
“It was surreal to be out there again,” Clisby told KEEPUP after the 2-1 defeat to the Reds. “It felt like a bit of déjà vu seeing as (Adelaide) were our first opponent this season.
“It was great to be back in front of all our fans at home. It’s been a long journey on the road.
“I have learned to appreciate the little things after what we’ve been through. Just appreciating home a lot more. Being at home, waking up in your own bed, making your own breakfast, doing your own routine you usually would on a game day.
“It’s those little things you appreciate.
“I’m blessed to be able to do that, and happy we’re going to be able to do that for the next couple of games at least. “
MATCH REPORT: Adelaide spoil Perth homecoming in 2-1 win
The build-up to Perth’s return carried similar qualities to the months which preceded it: confusion and uncertainty.
It started on Tuesday, with Glory chief executive Tony Pignata revealing “disgusting emails and threatening phone calls” had been directed at club staff throughout the week for following the COVID mandates set by the Western Australian government for the club’s return fixture.
Pignata then took to Twitter midweek to announce the shed – the terrace which hosts an official Perth Glory supporters club – would be open for the Reds clash.
Six hours later the word from Pignata was that it would be closed.
“So frustrated,” he wrote. “But not much we can do.”
And so the shed stood vacant, with its usual inhabitants spilling into the rows of seats in front on Sunday afternoon. Its emptiness was a constant reminder of the occasion’s unusual nature – and the state of the city Glory’s players and staff have returned to.
“You can see even going to the shops around here, everyone is worried about (the spread of COVID) because the borders have opened,” Clisby said.
“The shed was closed, we really wanted to see that (full) as well. I’m not sure how long or (what) the precautions are. But it was still great to see all the fans out there today.
“We experienced a lot of what it’s really like with COVID over east, and I feel like Perth is just beginning to come round to that now.
“I can understand the (restrictions) put in place to nullify it as much as we can. But for us as players it’s just great to be back home, playing in front of our fans.”
Another thing the players went without on their road trip was the incessant heat of a particularly scorching Perth summer. Come Sunday afternoon the city gave the players a taste of what they’d missed as the sun beat down on HBF Park.
The crowd filed in to the venue capped at 50% capacity with the excitement of seeing their team in the flesh after a testing period, eager to buoy the spirits of the players with the home support sorely missed by the displaced side.
Taking the considerable midweek commotion into account, and all of the emotions which accompanied Glory’s long awaited return to town, by the time it came to kick off there was a realisation: occasion aside, this was a game worth the same three points as any other – and it appeared the visiting Reds had a sharper focus to chase those points than Perth on the day.
Glory boss Garcia put his side’s defeat down to costly individual errors post-match, bemoaning his side’s concession of a late corner in the first half which they ultimately conceded from, and Reds forward Mohamed Toure’s ability to score the sealer from an angle he had no right to bead Glory keeper Cameron Cook from in the second half.
Perth’s main mission this week was to get home; Adelaide’s was to further entrench themselves in the top four. But with a bank of home fixtures at their disposal accrued from a long stint on the road, Glory are capable of turning the tide.
They only need to look to last season, where on a run of five consecutive home games Garcia’s side notched four wins and a draw. The 13 points earned in that time amounted to just under 40% of Perth’s total (34) through 36 games.
Next up: a clash with Central Coast, at home, on Sunday, March 13.
“I think (results) will definitely come,” Clisby said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been here and we’ve been playing every three or four days for a while now. Now we’ve got time to settle in and get some solid weeks of training in at home, and look forward to coming back here next game.
“The results haven’t been there of late but I think the performances are growing. We are definitely growing each week, it’s just the finer details, nullifying mistakes and getting the basics right whilst moving forward with what we are improving on.”
