After dominating the run of play in Melbourne and coming away 2-1 winners against the Victory in round one, Perth Glory Women will be keen to keep the momentum rolling with their home opener against Newcastle Jets this Saturday at Ashfield Reserve.
Last week’s match winners, Samantha Kerr and Caitlin Foord, as well as goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, will be absent due to touring with the Matildas in China.
“Caitlin, Sammy & Mackenzie are big losses, and they’re big players, that’s why they’re playing for the national team. It’s not ideal to have them missing, but that’s the way it is” Head Coach Bobby Despotovski said.
Carla Bennett may be asked to fill a key role against the Jets after impressing on her team debut as a half-time substitute.
“We have new players that are going to come in and they can show me and (assistant coach) Collette (McCallum) what they can do to show they deserve the starting spot. When one door closes another one opens, and there is an opportunity for those players now.”
Another likely first-time inclusion in the starting line-up is Nikki Stanton, who was absent from the first match.
“I’m really excited to get out there into game action. I’ve always wanted to play in Australia, and the fact that it’s coming true with a team like Perth Glory is really exciting” the American midfielder said.
While Glory already has one match under its belt, Saturday’s contest will be the first of the season for Newcastle.
Despotovski sees that as a positive for his own side.
“Newcastle comes in fresh, but the more games you play, the team gels a little bit more and you can work on more things, know your strengths and weaknesses and work on that. So we have the advantage of one more competitive game played.”
The head coach is also buoyed from the way the team played on the road after a difficult travel schedule.
“We dug deep and played great football. If we can do it away with all this (travel) standing in our way, why can’t we do it at home? We should be fresher, and hopefully the team can step up and perform and get the result.”
The match kicks-off at 4pm Saturday at Ashfield Reserve.
Entry for Perth Glory FC members is free.
Membership Information HERE
Ticket Information HERE
Match Details
Saturday, 24 October 2015
Perth Glory Women vs. Newcastle Jets Women
Ashfield Reserve, Perth
Kick-Off: 4:00 PM
Perth Glory Women squad: 2. Sarah CARROLL, 3. Kim CARROLL, 4. Katie HOLTHAM, 5. Shannon MAY, 6. Carla BENNETT, 7. Nicole STANTON, 8. Shawn BILLAM, 11. Emily HENDERSON 12. Katie SCHUBERT, 13. Danielle BROGAN, 14. Caitlin DOEGLAS, 15. Angelique STANNETT (GK), 16. Thia EASTMAN, 18. Gabby DAL BUSCO (GK), 19. Ella MASTRANTONIO
