Thankfully, for the Perth Glory Football Club and its supporters, this nightmare 2021/22 Isuzu Ute A-League Men’s season has now come to an end.
The wooden spoon was confirmed moments after the 2-0 defeat to Adelaide United on Sunday, April 24th.
For the members and fans who have stuck with the club since its inception in 1996, the last thing they would’ve expected heading into the Glory’s 25th anniversary was a failed big name signing, a coach getting the sack, a ridiculous injury and fixture list and COVID-19 forcing the club into quarantine on a number of occasions.
It’s been a disaster for the club. But it didn’t seem that way on October 1st.
It was truly spectacular to see the Perth Glory announce the signing of former Liverpool striker and Champions League winner, Daniel Sturridge on a marquee deal.
The whole competition was in mass appreciation of the incredible work the club displayed in order to bring the Englishman to Perth.
Glory fans were hoping that this move would be the catalyst for the club to make the finals in the 2021/22 Isuzu Ute A-League Men’s season.
The opening round fixture at a packed HBF Park was a spectacle in itself; 17,198 fans filled the stadium to the brim, hoping to see a new dawn for the Perth Glory.
While Sturridge did make a nine-minute cameo, it was not enough for the Glory after a rather disappointing hit-out against the Reds, with the final result being 1-1.
Adelaide had the Glory on strings for most of the game, which saw them dominate possession and have the better of the chances.
A Bruno Fornaroli wonder strike from 30 yards out, late in the first half was perhaps the Glory’s best chance all game.
Perth then travelled to AAMI Park for a three game extravaganza against Western United, Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City.
The clash against United saw subtle improvements from Perth, as the Glory were unlucky to not come away with more, as Dylan Wenzel-Halls controversially grabbed the winner in the 78th minute.
Heading into the game against the Victory, many fans, myself included, were really nervous prior to kick-off. With a host of key players out as well as Melbourne beginning to find their stride under former Glory manager, Tony Popovic, it was shaping up to be a thumping.
90 minutes later and Richard Garcia, in fairness, masterminded an incredible 3-0 win against all the odds. Young players Antonee Burke-Gilroy and Ciaran Bramwell stood up in the second half and grabbed important goals, with Bruno Fornaroli sealing the win late in the second half.
There was a cautious sense of positivity heading into a rather big game against last season’s champions, Melbourne City.
Unfortunately, it was men against boys.
Despite City not profiting more against the Glory in their 1-0 win, the statistics and general play showed that they toyed with Perth for 90 minutes.
Controlling possession (70%) and having a far greater xG (2.28) saw the Citizens as deserved winners.
Forty-two days separated the City defeat and the game against the Brisbane Roar.
The circumstances that resulted in this was a few players testing positive to COVID-19, which saw the whole team quarantine, which almost brought about the possibility of quarantining at Christmas.
Thankfully, the players and staff were able to return to their families, but mentally, this was a blow.
The players were keen to respond from their hit out against City, but the fact they had that much of a gap in between games, upon reflection, saw the clear decrease in performance levels.
Brisbane Roar, who were struggling up until that point, had the Glory on toast within the first 15 seconds.
The Perth players looked weary and did not seem physically strong enough to compete for 90 minutes.
Former Glory National Premier League (NPL) product, Henry Hore grabbed the winner in the 77th minute following some rather ordinary defensive work.
A rather embarrassing defeat was the last thing the Glory needed heading into the clash against Sydney FC, a side that Perth had historically struggled against.
Fortunately, it was a performance akin to the hit-out against the Victory, as Perth Glory sensationally defeated the Sky Blues at their own ground.
Goals from former Sydney midfielder Brandon O’Neill and Bruno Fornaroli were enough in the end for the Glory.
It was hoped that the Glory would then kick-start their season with two of their next three games being winnable in many people’s eyes.
Unfortunately, things did not get off to a great start away to the Western Sydney Wanderers. Glory barely threatened and despite a scuffed opportunity from Adrián Sardinero, there was only one other shot on target.
In fairness, the Glory showed a great level of character and belief in the 1-1 comeback draw against the Central Coast Mariners. The game was dominated by the Mariners and it looked all but lost until fan favourite, Daniel Stynes, poked home the equaliser in the 93rd minute.
In a strange turn of events, the Glory had three “home” games in a row in Tasmania, with the first being against the Brisbane Roar.
It was a comfortable display from Perth, with superstar Bruno Fornaroli getting the two goals in a solid 2-0 win.
However, no one was to know that from there, the Perth Glory would not win a game until early May.
It was a very dark period for the club.
Consecutive defeats to Macarthur and Western United saw the Glory head to AAMI Park, to face Melbourne City, as the team most likely to cop a thrashing of some kind.
It was anything but. Glory came from 2-0 down to rescue the game and draw 2-2. It was a valiant display, with the players displaying a fantastic attitude and mentality to bounce back.
Unfortunately, the cycle of losing twice and then drawing came back again.
Adelaide United and Sydney FC both beat the Glory very easily at HBF Park, without really having to break sweat despite the close nature of the scorelines.
A rather boring draw against the Mariners then saw Perth Glory face up the Brisbane Roar.
This game was hopefully the clash that would see Glory win another game. It was a complete capitulation for the home side.
An embarrassing 4-1 loss, a red card and a very low attendance left owner, Tony Sage, little choice but to dismiss Head Coach Richard Garcia.
I won’t really discuss my thoughts on Richie, given I’ve said what I needed to in the past and I’ve moved on.
Moving forward, the club brought in Ruben Zadkovich and Chris Coyne as interim manager and assistant managers, respectively.
It was a rough patch for the Glory boys to finish the season.
A 2-1 defeat to Wellington, followed by a 0-0 draw at Newcastle was the start of the Zadkovich era.
Sadly, things really went sour on the pitch.
A 6 game losing streak to Macarthur, Melbourne Victory, Newcastle, Wellington, Western United and Adelaide United, also saw the Glory concede 6 goals twice in that period.
It was difficult to find that love for the club again.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll always support the club. But it was very hard to see the young players try and compete against seasoned professionals and get bullied on a number of occasions.
However, against the Wanderers and Melbourne City in the last two games of the season, everyone showed a bit of fight.
The 1-1 draw to the Western Sydney Wanderers showed the Glory’s defensive resilience. They may have parked the bus at home, but they weathered multiple high quality attempts from the away side.
Perth Glory saved their best performance of the season until last, in an astonishing win against Premiership favourites Melbourne City.
Two wonder strikes from Callum Timmins were enough for the home side, who kept the Citizens quiet, with 2-0 being the final score.
Looking to next season
It may have been one of, if not the darkest period of the Perth Glory’s history this season.
But, the sun may be beginning to rise.
It has been confirmed by Neil Sherwin and a respectable source within Australian Youth Football, that the Glory have secured the signatures of Patrick Wood (Sydney FC), Stefan Colakovski (Melbourne City) and Rory Jordan (Macarthur).
Three very exciting young talents is a very good start heading into the 2022/23 season. But it’s only a start.
There’s a lot of improvements that have got to be made by the club.
Recruiting not just young players, but good experienced professionals as well as securing the services of a top coach who can develop these players will be critical.
That along with raising the bar for performance and standards at this club will see the fans come back.
As Andy Keogh said in his last game, “It’s going to be a big rebuild but watch this space.”
It all remains to be seen, but right now, the signs are looking promising ahead of the 2022/23 Isuzu Ute A-League Men’s season.
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