After last week’s courageous 1-0 win against Brisbane Roar, Perth Glory Youth will be looking to continue their winning run in the Foxtel National Youth League, when they take on Adelaide United at Elite Systems Football Centre, Angle Park on Sunday morning.
Coach John Gibson was happy with the performance and will be looking for a repeat against the Reds this week.
“We’ve said all season the work rate, attitude and belief of this player group is always excellent,” he said.
“We know it was going to be a fantastic challenge for this new group, and there was always going to be opportunities for the extended squad, and we have been pleasantly surprised with many players developing nicely while gaining vital experience in the FNYL.
“We look again to our upcoming game vs. Adelaide on Sunday, in very hot conditions, which we enjoy. They are a good side, but as per normal we will display positivity, belief and be brave.”
The last time the two sides met the Reds left Ashfield Reserve with a 3-0 win, with Antoni Trimboli and a brace from Adelaide skipper Dylan Smith giving them the points. The Reds, who are top of Conference A, beat Melbourne Victory 2-1 away last week, but were thrashed 10-0 by Brisbane Roar the week before.
“They are good side, but our focus is always about ‘what we do’. We go into every game focusing on a strong performance, and as always we will be positive and be brave in our attempt to perform well in Adelaide on Sunday,” Gibson explained.
“Opportunities have been presented to the younger members of the squad, and they have enjoyed and relished this experience.”
18-year-old defender Hayden Stevens was a key contributer to the Brisbane win, and relished the experience.
“It was great for us to finally get the result we’ve been wanting all year, it was rewarding for everyone,” he said.
“They were in good form after thrashing Adelaide the week before, but we put in a massive shift to get the three points, and I thought we deserved the result we got.”
Stevens believes the confidence gained from the 1-0 win against Brisbane will help against Adelaide.
“We’re looking forward to Sunday’s game, and with two games remaining we will be doing our best to end on a high. But we know, like every game in this competition, it will be a tough one, and the boys won’t be looking at their past results, we need to focus on our game.
“They are still top of our conference and it’s a big challenge to go there, but we head over full of confidence, like we have all season, and are looking for back-to-back wins.”
The match agianst Adelaide is this Sunday at Elite Systems Football Centre at 8:00am AWST.
Glory will play their final Foxtel National Youth League game of the season next Sunday at Ashfield Reserve, when they host Melbourne Victory with a 10.30am kick off.
