It was never going to be easy, simple, or straightforward. The Glory always do it the hard way; and it’s what made the win against the Wanderers so special.
Unlike the wait to return to HBF Park, we were the victim of our own undoing when Jordan Elsey was sent off in the second minute.
The fans barely had time to sit back, relax and get comfortable for the game ahead when the defender went straight into the back of Yeni N’Gbakoto.
It was a terrible challenge in a position where there was no danger just inside the Glory half. When Elsey signed in January, I thought he was a decent pick up but I knew he had a clanger in him. As far as errors go, his sending off was as bad as it gets.
Although I think he has been alright in defence, even getting on the scoresheet against Western United the week before, this was the first Glory win he’s been a part of, if you can call it that.
I don’t think he’s made the team worse; he just hasn’t had as much of an influence on the defence as I originally thought. Jacob Muir and Johnny Koutroumbis have been just as good over the course of the season, and both will be eyeing off his spot for the next couple of matches.
Ruben Zadkovich has utilised three at the back for most of the season, and it’s been effective when the full backs get higher up the pitch and provide an attacking outlet. Both times we’ve gone down to 10 men, the Glory have switched to a back four and have played well with it.
I doubt the coach will switch the system he’s worked with for most of the season, but it may be worth considering moving to a back four more often. With Salim Khelifi out for the rest of the season, we don’t have the same threat from the right-hand side and it would allow us to add another body to the midfield or an extra forward higher up the field.
It’s worked both ways in those two games I mentioned. Against Melbourne City, we had to chase the game and keep attacking. We got a goal back and on another day, we could have held on. Against Western Sydney, we had to defend with men behind the ball, and they all did an excellent job to hold on for so long with a man down.
The Wanderers had 29 shots on goal, of which only six were on target. The whole team set up fantastically behind the ball, sitting deep when they needed to and not allowing any of the Western Sydney attack time on the ball in dangerous areas.
When they did get in good positions, the defence came up strong with a block or Cameron Cook made a crucial save. Morgan Schneiderlin had the best chance of the first half from a cutback by Brandon Borrello. The young keeper dived brilliantly to his right and got a palm on it and stood tall late in the half when Borrello was played through by Milos Ninkovic.
The second 45 saw the Glory goal peppered and the woodwork coming to our rescue in a few instances. Borrello hit the post when he tried to finesse a shot into the far corner, and later on Calem Nieuwenhof clattered the same post from distance. He also hit the bar from close range after a scramble in the penalty box, but it might have been ruled out for offside had it gone in.
Watching this unfold and waiting to come on was David Williams, who made a massive impact on the game shortly after coming on. A poor touch by Tomislav Mrcela opened the door for Williams to pounce. With an open field ahead, Mrcela tugged on the shirt of the forward and knew instantly he was to be sent to the stands.
The Glory regained control with numbers even again and had the best of the play toward the end of the game. As time was ticking down, the Williams’ combined and Ryan had a 1v1 on the wing. His cross was headed away to McEneff on the edge of the box. A touch off the chest set up a sweet volley, taking a deflection off Tom Beadling and past Lawrence Thomas to grab a victory at the death and secure three crucial points.
Western Sydney’s poor run in Perth continued and they’ll be devastated to have let the game slip in their bid to finish second. Borrello and Nieuwenhof were the pick of the bunch, getting the best chances and causing a nuisance for the Glory throughout the contest.
A much-needed win for the Glory which keeps the slim chance of finals alive. It’s a second clean sheet of the season, both coming at home to the Wanderers in 1-0 wins. As always, the main challenge is backing it up and there can be no slipups in the run home. There are four teams between us and the coveted sixth spot, and we can leapfrog one of them with a win on Saturday.
The Jets have lost three in a row and desperately need a win just like us. It’s another chance to make up ground on Sydney and turn our away form around as the season enters crunch time.
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