Perth Glory’s young guns continue to impress in the PS4 National Premier League but face another tough encounter on Saturday when they take on Balcatta.
The youngsters have been led superbly by skipper Jacob Collard.
The 20-year-old defender, who sat on the bench for the final Hyundai A-League game of the season, has demonstrated his ability and maturity, as the Glory youngsters go toe to toe with the best sides in the state.
Sceptics expected Glory to be the competition’s easy beats this year, but their performances have shown they can hold their heads high.
However Collard knows there’s much more work to be done.
“I believe the boys have performed at a class level this season, proving we can match up with the best,” he said.
“Yes there are certain areas we need to improve, just to be a little more clinical in the final third, but when we get that right I truly believe we can climb the table.”
WA-Born Collard said defensively the side has worked hard to keep it tight and he said the performances of his fellow defenders have been solid.
“We are pretty solid down back, with Gian Albano, Nathan Costello, Tom King and myself working well, we just need to stay strong and try and keep a clean sheet.”
Glory head Coach John Gibson said the improvement in Collard has been outstanding.
“Young Jacob has displayed a high level of consistency over the last six to nine months, and he has shown good strong signs of leadership and maturity,” he said.
“He is a former midfielder, who is now playing as a central defender. But his composure on the ball is first class, and he can defend well but is easily adept on the ball.”
Saturday will be another challenge for the Glory youngsters, but both skipper and Coach are looking forward to the game.
“It’s going to be a tough fought game as they all are in this league. We just need to compete for everything and work hard for the team. I believe we can take points from this game, as the boys have been outstanding lately not just in the games but in training as well,” Collard said.
Kick-off at Grindleford Reserve is at 3pm.
