After last week’s Cup break, the PGFC Academy teams are back in Football West NPL action on Saturday when they visit Percy Doyle Reserve to take on Jamie Harnwell’s Sorrento FC.
The First Team widened the gap at the top of the table to five points after their stunning 3-1 win against reigning champions Bayswater City a fortnight ago and winger Chok Dau is confident that the youngsters can build upon that performance when they take on the Gulls.
“I thought the win [over Bayswater] was well-deserved and a great team performance,” he said. “We were confident going into the game and stuck to our game plan which allowed us to get the three points.
“We’ve seen this season that if we stick to our gameplan and structure, it makes it difficult for teams to stop us, but we know we still need to improve in certain areas and are all striving for that.
“We all know that playing Sorrento will be a challenge, but we’re confident that if we play our football, we can match it with any team. So we have prepared right as a team and have confidence in our ability to go out and get the win. The lads are relishing the challenge.”
Those sentiments were echoed by defender Ollie Annis who has recently forced his way back into the starting side.
“Yes, it’s good to get back in the team, but the focus for us is taking each game as they come,” he said.
“Training is upbeat, as is the intensity and our mentality. We know we have to maintain the standard we’ve set and the players are determined to do that.”
Annis, who hails from Quinns Rock, went on to admit that he is surprised to see Sorrento currently occupying a spot in the lower half of the table.
“This is a tough league,” he said, “and if you’re not on your game you will get beaten. They [Sorrento] are a tough team to play, they’re very unpredictable and mix their game up a lot. But we only worry about ourselves and we will just stick to our plan and try to play the way we have been the whole season. If we do that, the result will take care of itself.”
Head Coach John Gibson, meanwhile, feels that his side benefited from having no fixture last weekend.
“Last week was good for us to catch our breath, quickly review our current status and drive forward even harder,” he said.
“For us it’s back to business this week with an important game at Sorrento who have picked up some good results in recent weeks.
“Our current position is a fantastic learning experience. Nothing has changed; we continue to strive for improvement and we keep evolving.
“We have a super group of fine young adults, who are willing to learn. We’ve done ok so far this season, but haven’t achieved anything to date.”
All three of our PGFC Academy sides are in action on Saturday, with the Under-18s starting at 11am, the Under-20s getting underway at 1pm and the First Team kicking off at 3pm, so do get along and lend the lads your support if you can.
#OneGlory
