The PGFC Academy First Team suffered their second defeat of the NPL WA campaign on Saturday as Daryl Nicol’s first-half effort sealed the points for Bayswater City at Frank Drago Reserve.
During an entertaining and fiercely-contested 90 minutes, Glory created plenty of chances and were denied an equaliser right at the death when Bryce Bafford’s shot was cleared off the line by Declan Hughes.
Looking to build upon last week’s impressive victory over ECU Joondalup, the visitors began brightly and twice went close as Bafford ended a mazy run with a left-foot shot straight at City ‘keeper Patrick Stephenson and Giordano Colli fired a well-struck free-kick narrowly over the bar.
And yet it was the hosts who got their noses in front just after the midway point of the first-half, in strange circumstances.
Glory ‘keeper Sam Reilly was penalised for handling a back pass from Alessandro Circati as it threatened to cross the line and when the resulting indirect free-kick was squared to Nicol, he thundered a ferocious shot over the cluster of defenders packing the six-yard box into the top corner.
Reilly then did well to prevent Bayswater doubling their lead, foiling the lively Nicol in a one-on-one situation and Jason Mirco also went close as Chris Coyne’s men finished the opening period on the front foot.
After the break, however, it was Glory who looked the more likely for long periods, Jack Painter-Andrews testing Stephenson with a shot that threatened to creep in at the near post and Bafford just unable to bundle the ball in from close-range after the City defence had failed to clear a corner.
Then, deep into stoppage-time, Bafford thought he had claimed a share of the spoils for his side, but as his effort seemed destined to find the back of the net, Hughes lunged in to clear the danger and dash Glory’s hopes.
In the day’s other games, meanwhile, the Under-18s battled out a 1-1 draw and the Under-20s were downed 3-2.
All three senior teams return to action next Saturday (8th August) when Cockburn City will be the visitors to 1620 Capital Stadium, Hartfield Park.
Match Details
Bayswater City 1 (Nicol 25′) Perth Glory 0
Half-time: 1-0
Referee: Steven Gregory
Bayswater City: 1.Patrick STEPHENSON (GK), 26.Zayd FARAH, 12.Steven HESKETH (28.Konstantinos SPARKA 69′), 6.Todd HOWARTH, 10.Jason MIRCO, 3.Jack ALLEN, 29.Dean CUMMINGS, 27.Declan HUGHES, 5.David STOKOE (9.Gustavo GIRON MARALUNDA 79′), 7.Daryl NICOL, 22.Luke SALMON (14.Gomo DUKULY 72′)
Substitutes not used: 25.Hayden BROWNE (GK), 15.Alex MCLEAN
Yellow Cards: Allen, Howarth, Giron Maralunda
Perth Glory: GK Sam REILLY, 2. Mason TATAFU, 4. Nick WALSH, 5. Alessandro CIRCATI, 6. Lewis TUCKER (14. Joseph FORDE 66’), 7. Fraser DUNLOP , 15. Aidan EDWARDS (3.Jayden LEADER 56′), 10. Giordano COLLI, 11. Charlie LEECH, 17. Bryce BAFFORD, 19.Jack PAINTER-ANDREWS
Substitutes not used: 8.Jacob MUIR, 13.Hugo SNOWDEN, 20.Kade WHITE (GK)
Yellow Cards: Tatafu
Red Cards: None
(pic courtesy of Tom McCarthy)
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