PGFC Academy First Team Head Coach Richard Garcia was quick to express his pride in his young charges following Saturday’s 2-1 home defeat the hands of Bayswater City.
Gustavo Giron-Marulanda fired City into an early lead at E&D Litis Stadium and although Daniel Walsh levelled on 25 minutes, it was Giron-Marulanda who bagged what proved to be the winner for Chris Coyne’s men just before half time.
The result ended Glory’s chances of securing a top-four finish in the NPL WA this term, but Garcia felt that there were plenty of positives to be taken from both his side’s performance on the day and their campaign overall.
“I’m really proud of the lads today,” he said.
“They left everything out on the pitch, but unfortunately we didn’t get the result we wanted.
“We now can’t make the top four, which is disappointing, but this young group have given everything this season and many of them are in their first season in senior football, so it bodes well for next season.
“I thought all the players put in a good shift today. We were in the contest for the whole game, but it wasn’t to be our day.
“We still have one game to go for the season, at Inglewood United next week and the boys are determined to go out with a win.”
The Glory youngster started brightly, with Jack Leech’s defence-splitting pass sending Bryce Bafford in on goal, but he delayed his shot and the chance was gone.
Moments later, Luke Salmon’s snap-shot was blocked by some desperate Bayswater defending and Trent Ostler also went close as Glory continued to threaten.
And yet it was City who opened the scoring after 13 minutes, a ball over the top from Jason Mirco sending Giron-Maralunda clear who calmly lobbed the onrushing Nic Speca from the edge of the penalty area.
As the lively opening continued, Giordano Colli and Daryl Nicol both had chances for Bayswater, before Glory hit back through Walsh.
Ostler’s corner from the left was met powerfully by the Joeys representative and despite a desperate attempted clearance on the goal-line from Colli, the ball found its way into the net.
Shortly before the break, however, Giron-Maralunda struck his and City’s second, meeting Nicol’s cross from the right with a clinical, close-range finish.
Glory began the second half as brightly as they had the first, Luke Bodnar firing narrowly wide after a neat interchange of passes with Joshua Rawlings on the edge of the penalty area and Salmon drawing a save from Devon Spence.
Salmon was to go close again in the 74th minute having been played in on goal by Rawlings, but City also created plenty of chances as the game flowed from end to end, Speca making two saves in quick succession from Nicol and Gordon Smith.
And the goalmouth action continued right to the final whistle as Spence claimed Salmon’s cross under pressure from Gabriel Popovic to ensure that Bayswater would leave with all three points.
Match Details
Perth Glory 1 (Daniel Walsh 25’) Bayswater City 2 (Giron-Marulanda 13’, 40’)
Half Time: 1-2
Referee: Tom Glavovic
Assistants: Arvin Shanmuganathan, Albert Muyembe
Perth Glory: GK Nicholas SPECA, 2.Alessandro CICARTI, 3.Trent OSTLER 4.Daniel WALSH, 5.Nicholas WALSH (16.Zayd FARAH 46’), 6.Josh SAMSON, 7.Joshua RAWLINGS, 8.Jack LEECH (13.Luke BODNAR 30’), 9.Gabriel POPOVIC, 10.Bryce BAFFORD (19.Sasa NJEGIC 62’), 11.Luke SALMON
Substitutes not used: RGK Jacob RANGE, 15.Ciaran BRAMWELL
Yellow cards: None
Red cards: None
Bayswater City: GK Devon SPENCE, 3.Jack ALLEN, 6.Todd HOWARTH, 9.Gustavo GIRON-MARULANDA (30.Adam TONG 73’), 10.Jason MIRCO (11.Ryan PEARSON 57’), 12.Steve HESKETH, 17.Daryl NICOL, 18.Brent GRIFFITHS, 19.Gordon SMITH, 20.Giordano COLLI, 27.Ross MILLARD (14.Sean MCMANUS 84’)
Substitutes not used: 13.Trent KAY, 21.Kenny KEOGH
Yellow cards: Hesketh 17’
Red cards: None
#OneGlory
