Following last week’s superb start to the Football West NPL WA season, Glory will go in search of back-to-back wins when they host Balcatta at Ashfield Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The 1-0 victory over Perth SC was one of the standout results of the opening round and newly-appointed skipper Ollie Annis felt it was an encouraging overall team display.
“The squad have been together throughout the Foxtel Y-League and our good end to the campaign gave us confidence going into last week’s game,” he explained.
“We put in a solid performance and worked really hard for the 90-plus minutes and the result reflected that.
“To be fair, we could have had a few more if we’d converted our chances, however we were delighted to win the opening game and keep a clean sheet.”
Annis is nonetheless keenly aware that every game in this competition is tough and he is expecting Balcatta to provide a stern test on Saturday.
“This week is even more of a challenge,” he said, “and Balcatta will be just as tough as last week.
“But we’re hoping to continue the run of good form and get another win under our belt.”
Glory Head Coach John Gibson, meanwhile, claimed that last week’s win reflected the mental strength that his young group are showing, a quality they will need to demonstrate again at Ashfield Arena.
“Last week, against a strong Perth SC side, we put in a super away performance and were deservedly rewarded for that performance,” he said.
“The group displayed great maturity over the whole game and also showed an aggressive and tough mentality both on and off the ball, which was pleasing.
“The interesting challenge we now have is to maintain this standard. As a group, we have set our goals and objectives with underpinning details and processes for this NPL season.
“We certainly understand we will face many internal and external challenges, as well as on and off field challenges, but we will be prepared. For us, consistency is the key.
“We know this league is relentless, but we are looking to continue our good start with another strong and consistent performance.”
Match Details
Perth Glory v Balcatta
Saturday, March 3, 2017
Ashfield Arena – Kick off 5pm
(The Under-18’s start at 1pm, with the Under-20s in action at 3pm).
#CREATEDESTINY
