At 7pm tonight, Perth Glory will battle for the Call to Arms Cup against the WA State Team at Dalmatinac Park in Spearwood. Michael Thwaite and Youssouf Hersi return from A-League All-Stars duty with Ruben Zadkovich, Rostyn Griffiths and Matthew Davies all set to miss the clash due to injury.
Glory won the last Call to Arms Cup in 2013 courtesy of a 3-1 win at Intiga Stadium, with Danny De Silva, Steve McGarry, Ndumba Makeche and Sorrento’s Gavin Knight on the scoresheet. While Glory is likely to feature a stronger side this year, the WA State Team players will be looking to cause an upset in Spearwood tomorrow evening.
The WA State Team will feature local stars from the National Premier League WA, including ex-Glory players Dean Evans (Stirling Lions), Ludovic Boi (Floreat Athena), Todd Howarth (Bayswater City), Andrea Jukic (Inglewood United) and Sam Mitchinson (Bayswater City). The squad will also include in-form Perth SC striker Mark Doninger who has found the net 12 times in 18 matches this NPL season. Doninger sits equal second in the race for the golden boot in the NPL after scoring the winner for Perth SC against Stirling Lions last weekend.
Glory will still still be without ex-Newcastle Jets captain Ruben Zadkovich, defending midfielder Rostyn Griffiths and young right-back Matthew Davies as they recover for the start of 2014-15 Hyundai A-League season. Michael Thwaite and explosive right winger Youssouf Hersi are set to return after their cameo off the bench against Serie A Champions Juventus in the A-League All-Stars match on Sunday.
They’ll join in-form striker Andy Keogh who now has four goals in his previous four games for Glory, including an equaliser against 2012-2013 UEFA Champions League Quarter Finalists Malaga CF and a brace against Newcastle Jets in the Round of 32 of the FFA Cup. The Irishman has been impressive in pre-season for Perth Glory and he will be confident of finding the back of the net again against Coyne’s team.
The match should also prove to be a good hit-out for the younger contingent of Perth Glory players, including Danny De Silva, Diogo Ferreira, Brandon O’Neill and company. Lowe will be able to use the match to set his sights over his whole squad in preparation for the upcoming Hyundai A-League season. The match will also be good preparation for the upcoming friendly against State League Division 1 side Gosnells City on the 17th of August.
The match kicks off at 7pm at Dalmatinac Park, with tickets costing $5 for concession and $10 for adults. All proceeds are donated to the WA Cancer Society for their research efforts in the area of prostate cancer and Perth Glory’s other charity partners.
