The nature of the competition means that we need to make sure we win every point possible starting with our home game against Adelaide United on Friday night.
Leading up to last Saturday-s game we couldn’t fault the attitude of the players. It was therefore disappointing to see that on the day we didn-t match the intensity and effort of Glory and as a result we went down 2-nil and slipped into seventh position.
The nature of the competition means that we need to make sure we win every point possible starting with our home game against Adelaide United on Friday night. At this stage we are still controlling our own destiny and understand that we need to keep positive and stay focused.
The biggest thing we were disappointed with on the weekend was our lack of effort and intensity and while it was a difficult game, you never want to lose that way and we will take a lot out of this game.
Perth were well organised. They get four or five men behind the ball in the midfield, can adjust that area well and we were not good enough to break that down. We didn-t move the ball or get into our positions quick enough and played into their hands, which you can-t do against a team with Perth-s experience.
One positive to come out of Saturday-s game was seeing Connor Chapman make his A-League debut and a strong debut at that. He did well and it was good to see him out there and looking comfortable with the ball.
To return home this week after such a tough away trip is something we are very much looking forward to. Given our last performance at home resulted in a 3-0 win over Melbourne Heart, we are hoping all our Members and supporters will join us on Friday night.
Our physios are working overtime to try and get Jobe Wheelhouse back on the pitch as soon as possible and if by miracle he is available for Friday night then it will be good to have another body to choose form but having spoken to our medical team it is more than likely he will sit this one out.
We are looking forward to the return of Ben Kantarovski who returns to Australia on Friday morning having served well for Australia during his time with the under 23-s. Whether or not Ben will play this week will depend on how much he plays during Australia-s final qualifier and if he feels fresh enough once he gets off the plane. While Ben is probably young enough to cope we need to be mindful of what is best for him.
We hope to see you Friday night at Hunter Stadium.
Craig
