Perth Glory players may be teasing Andy Keogh about his goal-scoring drought, but captain Michael Thwaite is confident the Irish striker is ready to recapture his touch.
The Irishman’s first season in Australia has been a mostly positive one, his nine Hyundai A-League goals helping the Glory to the top of the table.
But Keogh last got himself on the scoresheet on January 25, when he netted a penalty against Melbourne Victory.
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Perhaps summing up the mood in the table-topping squad and the strength of Keogh’s character, the 28-year-old’s team-mates are reminding him of his four-game goalless run.
“He’s a confident type of player,” Thwaite told Perform on Thursday.
“The boys are giving him a bit of stick about not scoring, but it’s more jovial. He’s a confident person.
“Like I did when I played with Shane Smeltz [at Gold Coast United], I always tend to say ‘just be selfish around the 18-yard box’. That’s why he’s scored so many goals.
“I’m sure it’s only going to be a matter of time before he scores again.”
A top-of-the-table clash against the Victory perhaps comes at the perfect time for Keogh, who has scored four times in three meetings with Kevin Muscat’s men this season.
Kenny Lowe’s table-toppers have endured an unconvincing start to 2015 with a six-game winless run, but Thwaite preferred to focus on their unbeaten streak.
“We’re quite confident,” the defender said.
“People are saying we’ve gone without a win for six games, but I see it as we’ve been undefeated for three games.”
Thwaite was understandably pleased that his team’s nearest rivals – Victory, Adelaide United and Wellington Phoenix – had failed to take advantage of Glory’s win-less run.
The 31-year-old said Lowe’s men simply needed to make a couple of small changes.
“I think the evidence is clear that we’re making our own errors and creating goals against,” Thwaite said.
“Our structure needs to be improved in order to stop their goals because the teams aren’t creating really good goals against us, it’s our own balance in the system which is causing us a bit of a problem. They’re minor adjustments.
“The good thing is we’re still getting results and the teams around us are not. They haven’t taken advantage of our draws and that’s good for us.”
