A little over six months ago, the Glory embarked on their first full season under the Pelligra group. The early promise from pre-season was erased in an instant by Macarthur in the shambolic 6-1 loss on matchday one.
Performances and results failed to pick up until January, when the side showed a bit of character in a home win over Auckland and in some close defeats to Western United and Western Sydney.
The team looked to have turned a corner defensively, while goals remained elusive. When March arrived, the poor defending from the opening three months reappeared in a run of four consecutive defeats where the team conceded at least three on each occasion.
An unexpected 4-1 win over Adelaide was a nice way to round off the season at home. Then, they were dominated by Auckland and had to watch their coronation as premiers in their inaugural campaign whilst being consigned to consecutive wooden spoons.
Now, we have reached the final destination. Friday night in Wellington to round off one of the worst seasons statistically in A-League history.
So, Perth, what do we want to talk about?
Will Pennington face his former side?
The absence of Nicholas Pennington in midfield was painfully obvious in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Go Media Stadium.
The 26-year-old has been one of the few standout players for the Glory, and is by far and away the best signing made by the new owners.
His quality on the ball and strong passing were dearly missed against the Black Knights. The Glory struggled all game to break down Auckland’s press and defensive setup.
There hasn’t been an explanation as to why he didn’t play on Sunday. An injury would be a small blow to end the season with, given he missed all of pre-season with an injury all those months ago.
Hopefully that’s not the case and he gets a crack against his old team. The Glory are much stronger with him and Luke Amos in the centre, and gives David Zdrilic the best chance of finishing on a high note.
Who makes their final Glory appearance?
The high turnover of players in the A-League means for some this will be the last time we see them put on the purple (or lilac) shirt.
It’s likely to be even higher for Glory this off-season; three new faces are rumoured to come in already, and more will be on the way as the club wants to give David Zdrilic the right tools to succeed in 2025/26.
Most of the January signings are on six month deals until the end of the season. There are a couple more with contracts expiring, and there is bound to be some releases and maybe a mutual termination thrown in for good measure.
The two players we know will be making their final appearances are Jaylan Pearman, who is joining Daniel Bennie at QPR, and Patrick Wood, who will return to Sydney after his short spell on loan.
Some will be missed more than others, but departures need to happen for the Glory to rise up the table and be competitive in the league.
Could someone new score a goal?
Bleak is the best way to describe the end product and attacking ability shown this season. 20 goals scored in 25, and only three players with multiple goals to their name.
None of the recognised defenders have impacted on the scoresheet, and more worryingly there’s a number of attackers who haven’t found the back of the net.
Of the squad named for the New Zealand trip, there are four forwards who are still searching for their first Glory goal. They are Nikola Mileusnic, Patrick Wood, Khoa Ngo and the yet to debut Seb Despotovski.
Mileusnic has played the most of that group and should’ve opened his account against Adelaide. Wood has failed to impress up top and Ngo has brought a ton of energy off the bench in recent weeks.
That leaves Despotovski, who missed out in Auckland but should definitely get a run this weekend. Confident and in great form, I’d love to see him get a crack and see what he can do with some good players around him.
There’s nothing to lose, so why not gain something by bringing in the young gun and giving him valuable experience? It’s a no brainer for me.
Predicted lineup
Taggart – Pearman
Mileusnic – Pennington – Amos – Despotovski
Misao – Mrcela – Majekodunmi – Risdon
Sail
All images courtesy of Tom McCarthy.
