A couple of guest bloggers look ahead to Friday Nights Game v Wellington Phoenix. We’re always keen to hear from our fans so keep an eye on our website, facebook and twitter sites for future blogging opportunities and send your entries of 250-300 words to media@perthglory.com.au
By Stuart Ives.
WHITE line fever. Friday night football at nib. The tense, electric atmosphere of the Glory of Perth versus the Phoenix Of Wellington. Whilst not quite season defining, as we’re not quite one-third though, it certainly will influence the league table considerably.
The Glory, currently seventh, are only 3 points away from 4th spot. Wellington, ninth with four points, need to notch up their first win of the season to close the gap.
To understand how the game may play out, it’s important to note the injury crisis at the Glory. Full back duo Josh Risdon and Scott Jamieson both remain sidelined. Travis Dodd is still on the mend from an ACL. Shane Smeltz is out for up to a month with an ankle injury, whilst William Gallas remains in doubt with a calf injury. Rugged captain Jacob Burns remains suspended.
On the other end of the spectrum, Wellington appear to have a clean bill of health.
Recent form guides don’t really give us too much about either side. Since the previous meeting three rounds ago, Glory have lost their last two, however their performance against champions Central Coast was certainly very encouraging, even if the result was heartbreaking.
The Phoenix ground out a 0-0 draw against the Wanderers last weekend, going down to Sydney the previous round.
So, what can we expect? Expect the unexpected. For the Glory, Sidnei looks a lively threat every time he runs down the field. For the Phoenix, whether he starts or comes off the bench, Paul Ifill is always a threat in front of goal.
Whatever the result, get to nib and get involved in White Line Fever.
Finally, a big thank you and farewell to Steve Pantelidis, who departs us for Malaysia. He’s been a fantastic servant to the club, and I wish him all the very best for the future
by @BigBiddy10
It’s been a week filled with adversity for Perth Glory FC, but here are three reasons to get pumped as club prepares to face the Wellington Phoenix in a crucial upcoming fixture.
Young talent time – Perth Glory’s Youth side is bursting at the seams with young brilliance (see 7-2 win over Brisbane Roar NYL team last week). First XI spots are now up for grabs and fans would like nothing more than to see the clubs promising contingent of young West Australian talent stake their claim for a permanent spot. Jack Clisby, Brandon O’Neill, Daniel De Silva, Riley Woodcock and Ndumba Makeche will be relishing an opportunity. For inspiration they only need to look far as 18 year old Matt Davies who has taken to the right back position wonderfully in Josh Risdon’s absence.
Distance Derby – In terms of long haul flights in world domestic leagues, this game is probably only bettered by Baltika Kaliningrad’s 4,575 mile trip away to Luch Energiya of Vladivostok in the Russian 2nd tier.
Making it tougher for the visitors is the fact a large Phoenix contingent was involved in the All Whites recent World Cup qualifying playoffs with Mexico. This consisted of travel to Los Angeles for a training camp, Mexico City for the 1st leg and the long haul flight back to Wellington for the final game. It’s yet another unwelcome 9 hour lob across the ditch and Nullarbor for these weary Wellington legs.
Friday Night Lights – Many big football games around the planet are kicked off at night. A clear reason is that the players are primed to perform optimally in the more comfortable conditions and environment. The White Line Fever theme adopted by the club for this game is a great initiative to raise funds for children with disabilities. Kids can also watch the action for a ‘fiver’. This all adds to what should be a pulsating atmosphere.
Another beauty of football is that fans in the stadium aren’t spectators, you are Active Participants, so Glory fans unite for a big Friday night.
