Perth Glory coach Ian Ferguson says he’s pleased with his teams opening match of their South African tour.
Perth Glory coach Ian Ferguson says he’s pleased with his teams opening match of their South African tour.
The Glory lost 1-nil to local Premier League side Platinum Stars but Ferguson stressed the trip is not about on-field results.
“Obviously it’s nice to win but the focus is on conditioning the players for the Hyundai A-League season,” Ferguson said.
“We got some good minutes into the players and it was another chance for team to gel.
“It’s only the third time the likes of Shane Smeltz, Liam Miller and Travis Dodd have played together.
“We have eleven new faces at the club this season so the players need games to combine.
The Glory controlled play for long periods of the game against a side -Platinum Stars – who are just 10 days out from the start of their season.
Evan Berger started his first game for Perth Glory, slotting in at left-full back while Qantas Joey, Jesse Makarounas came on in the second half for first his first minutes since joining the club.
The only goal of the game cam mid-way through the first half when the stars headed home from a free-kick just outside the area.
The Glory got better as the game went longer, adjusting to local conditions and the pace of the ball at altitude.
“Overall i was pleased,” Ferguson added.
“We still have a lot of work to do before the start of the season but this was a very good test.”
