Perth Glory skipper Jacob Burns said the squad enjoyed some low-key celebrations following a breakthrough 4-2 win against Brisbane Roar on Sunday but know they’ll need to up their output as they search for back to back wins on the road.
Perth Glory skipper Jacob Burns said the squad enjoyed some low-key celebrations following a breakthrough 4-2 win against Brisbane Roar on Sunday but know they-ll need to up their output as they search for back to back wins on the road.
The Glory-s luck took a turn for the better against the Roar and the West Australian outfit made the most of their opportunities to record their first win away in four attempts this season.
Burns though admitted that while the result fell Perth-s way the performance was at times below the lofty standards they had set in other matches this season.
“The ball bounced our way for a change, we know we-re much better than how we played but we-ll take the three points and roll with it,” said Burns.
“Far too many times we-ve been on the receiving end where the ball hasn-t bounced our way. We-ve dominated games but conceded goals at the death or drawn a game that we should have won.
“We-re not kidding ourselves by any means. We know we-re a much better side than that performance but three points is three points and it sets us up for Newcastle later this week.”
Perth was able to find the back of the net when it counted against an opposition that had in the past caused plenty of pain for the Glory.
Brisbane again made it tough going for the visitors who were forced to fight against an avalanche of possession and shots on goal (19 to 9). However a new resolve within the Glory squad withstood the pressure and secured the result they had been searching for.
“It is nice to get that first away win,” Burns said.
“Brisbane isn-t an easy place to come. Our clashes always seem to be high scoring and end to end action and it was the same again last night.
“I think we-ve been pretty consistent this season in terms of our performances but last night we were a bit below par.
“With each game we-re able to take something out of it and know what we have to work on. We-ll be looking to improve on aspects of our game ahead of Newcastle and we-d really love to come back home with six points.”
The partnership between Burns and Wayne Srhoj continues to bear fruit with the pair forging an impressive midfield combination. Burns- defensive work allowing Srhoj a licence to forge forward and the 27 year old has benefited with two goals this season, including a wonderful chip over the keeper in yesterday-s match.
“Wayne is a talent and if he can get forward it is good for us,” said Burns.
“We-re able to complement each other well. I can help give some cover to the back four and leave him to play a more attacking role which he is very good at.
“I enjoy playing alongside him. He reads the game well and it-s nice to have a link like that in the middle of the park. It is important for the spine of the team to be solid through that area.”
All players made it through the match unscathed and will remain in Brisbane until Wednesday when they-ll fly directly to Newcastle for Friday-s match. Burns confident the reduced travel load will benefit Perth-s push to secure consecutive wins on the road and consolidate their position in the top four.
“It is important that we prepare right. Reducing the travel means we have more time to recover, train harder and get ourselves in the best possible position for the coming match,” Burns said.
“This will be great preparation and it is fantastic to get off to a strong start on a road double.
“Wins can jump you up the table quickly and we feel we deserve to be up there based on the season so far and we-ll take plenty of confidence into the game against the Jets.”
