The PGFC Academy team return to Foxtel Y-League action on Sunday when they travel to South Australia to take on Conference leaders Adelaide United at Marsden Sports Complex. (Kick off: 8.00am WST)
Last week the youngsters were beaten for the first time this season, despite a good start to the game, leaving forward Trent Ostler to rue what might have been.
“Last week’s result was very disappointing for the whole group as we were all looking forward to coming back home and continuing the good start we’ve had,” he said.
“We had good patches throughout the game, but we need to be able to sustain that for the whole 90 minutes.
“But training this week has been sharp and we are looking forward to going away to Adelaide and hopefully picking up the three points.”
Ostler is one of several Academy players who have made the step up to international football, with the 16-year-old selected in the Joeys squad last season.
And he is now targeting a return to the green and gold.
“I was picked to play for the Joeys last year at the AFF U-15 Championships in Thailand,” he explained. “Playing for my country was a dream come true and it was something I will never forget.
“But injuries ruled me out of national team tournaments later that year and age regulations meant I couldn’t be in contention for this year’s AFC Under-16 Championships, which was very disappointing. I will be eligible for next year’s Under-17 World Cup and I will be working as hard as I can to earn a call-up.”
Returning to domestic matters, Ostler feels that Sunday’s trip across the border could be exactly what the Glory squad needs to get their season back on track.
“Adelaide will be a good test for us and a good chance to put things right from last week,” he said.
“Playing away from home is always hard, but we are confident that we can play our game and come back home with a good performance and a positive result.”
The Melbourne City game marked the first defeat of Richard Garcia’s tenure as Head Coach, but the former Socceroo felt that it served as an important learning curve for his young charges.
“I thought we didn’t play with the confidence that we showed in the first two games,” he said, “and we didn’t produce the type of football we know we are capable of producing.
“We were really disappointed with the overall performance and it probably showed we still have a lot of work to do, but we have a good group and they learnt a harsh lesson from that performance.
“We have a squad who are working extremely hard to improve their game, they are an enthusiastic bunch and they have already put that result behind them and all our focus is on Adelaide on Sunday.
“They (Adelaide) are a good side and sit on top of the Conference, but we are confident we can go there and put in a strong performance, like we did against Melbourne Victory in Round 3 and come home with a positive result.”
#OneGlory
