Perth Glory coach Alistair Edwards is backing the same starting eleven who downed ladder leaders Central Coast last weekend to repeat the trick against second-placed Western Sydney Wanderers in Saturday’s keenly-anticipated clash at Parramatta Stadium.
Perth Glory coach Alistair Edwards is backing the same starting eleven who downed ladder leaders Central Coast last weekend to repeat the trick against second-placed Western Sydney Wanderers in Saturday’s keenly-anticipated clash at Parramatta Stadium.
The men in purple will again assume the role of underdogs against a side looking to chalk up a seventh successive win, but Edwards is quietly confident that his charges can produce another upset victory to keep themselves in finals contention.
“Last week it was first against last,” he said, “this week it’s second against second-last.
“Wanderers are the form team at the moment and Tony Popovic has got them playing some really good football, but we’re looking forward to it.
“We’re hoping that it’s going to be a full stadium because we want to embrace that atmosphere, we want to play good football in front of big crowds.
“We’ll go with the same starting eleven, with Scott Jamieson and Matias Cordoba coming in on the bench.
“Training has been really good this week backing up from a really good performance against the Mariners.
“The players adapted well to the game plan on Saturday and we’ve had another three really good sessions since then in which the boys have taken things on even further.”
The former Socceroos striker was similarly upbeat about the signing of highly-rated local youngster Daniel De Silva, insisting that the 15-year-old may well be thrust into first-team action before the end of the current campaign.
“Daniel is a player I’ve worked with for the last two years with the Joeys,” he said, “and I think signing him is a fantastic coup for the club because he’s been chased not only by big-name clubs from overseas, but eastern states clubs as well.
“I think he and his family have seen the new direction that we’re looking to go in with Glory and it’s great to have someone of his ability in the squad.
“People have asked is he eligible to play, is he going to be playing and the answer is that we have signed him as a first-team squad member and he is available for selection.
“If he performs and does the things I know he can, he’s one of the 20 or so players in the squad that will be up for selection from next week.”
And Edwards went on to claim that the recruitment of the in-demand attacking midfielder encapsulated the new ethos that the club intends to adopt moving forward.
“It’s great for WA football to have someone who has grown up through club football and the NTC to see Perth Glory as the place where he wants to continue his football education,” he said.
“We have quite a few other young players on our radar and the simple fact is that too often the players that we have developed in this state have left to go and play either overseas or in the eastern states.
“That’s one of the priorities for me, to come in and address that 100% and we’re looking to make a number of similar Daniel De Silva signings in the coming weeks.
“I want to be a part of building the club for the future.
“You have to have a long-term vision and I’m excited about what Tony (Sage) and everyone is saying about the club.
“The players are buying into it and I think you’ll see with the signing of De Silva and others that the whole state is buying into what we’re doing.”
