by Ben Gilby (1/1/25)
Above: Perth Glory head coach Stephen Peters speaking to the media ahead of the team’s marathon journey to Wellington. Image: Perth Glory.
Perth Glory head coach Stephen Peters is convinced his team is heading in the right direction – but just need to improve game management in the small percentages of a match to reach their potential.
“As a unit, we’re in a much better place,” Peters said at the club’s Fremantle HQ, “but there are those little small percentages and those small margins in games that we’re not managing 100% and we just have to be better at those to turn 1-0 losses into 1-0 wins.
“Central Coast – 85th minute goal to lose 1-0. I think it was a similar story against (Melbourne) Victory…92 actually I think it was, so that’s two 1-0 losses that I think we could have got a point (each) out of.
“Western Sydney Wanderers, I felt that we dominated the game for large periods, we conceded an 85th-minute goal and then got a 95th-minute penalty. In our opinion, that was two points dropped there.
“Canberra United, I felt like we were very good for three points in that game, we conceded a late equaliser there to draw 1-1, so we’ve left quite a few points out there. We have to maintain the positivity that we’re on the right path. The thing that has alluded us is a clean sheet…moving forward we really need to keep fighting for that clean sheet, that’s probably where our next evolution is for the team.”
Another area that the Glory are focusing on is their goalscoring. Ten goals have been scored in the club’s eight games – something which could have been significantly higher. Yet, the team’s creative midfield is producing opportunities, which is something Peters sees as a huge positive.
“Our attack actually, funnily enough, has improved, but it’s not showing in terms of the goals we’re scoring. If you look at the style we are playing, we are evolving as a team and we’re creating better opportunities, we just need to take them.”
Perth’s progress has been hampered by a growing injury list that sees attackers Kelli Brown and Sarah O’Donoghue on the sidelines which has given opportunities to several more young locally produced players to get A-League Women minutes.
“The injuries have obviously not been very kind to us, but that’s all part of football,” Peters admitted, “It’s the next opportunity for someone to step up and put in a shift like Charli Wainwright has done in the last couple of weeks. She’s done an exceptional job, and we’ll keep looking for the next local girl who is going to give us that.
Glory now are bracing themselves to make the longest away trip in domestic world club football – 5,263 km (3,270 miles) to face Wellington Phoenix on Saturday. It will be a new experience for Peters and many of the Perth squad, with additional preparations above and beyond those for a normal game being factored in.
“We think about the football aspect and prepare the players as best we can and try and have an energetic performance, because the main concern is that you won’t travel well, and we need to do that part well.
“It’s going to be interesting to see how we adapt…Hopefully, the ones who have done it before give us a little bit of leadership from it. From all the discussions we’ve had, there’s been lots of positive feelings about previous trips to New Zealand, so we’re looking forward to it. Any opportunity we get out to fight for three points, we’re looking forward to it.
“Three points are a premium, and if we can get them…it will help us close the gap on the top six, and the teams above that – Melbourne City, Brisbane, Melbourne Victory – they’re doing very well. There’s a lot of work to do, but we’ve got to make sure we stay with the pack first.”
“Wellington is an excellent side. I think they are probably the closest team in terms of what we’re trying to do…they are in the opposition’s face a lot and causing a lot of errors in the opposition’s back third…from all reports, they are quite a physical team as well. It’s going to be tough.”
Perth Glory’s Cymru international Megan Wynne believes that improved game management is the key to the side picking up the wins that can move them up the table.
The Western Australian side has a large group of young players in the squad this season, and Wynne recognises that as one of the more experienced heads in the team she needs to play a role in helping the decision-making process among those at the start of their A-League Women careers.
“We have a big divide in terms of ages in the group, so it’s about getting the young ones to step up a little bit, and we’ve noticed in the last few games losing 1-0 it’s been tough and there’s little mistakes in there that might not happen if you were a bit more experienced, so it’s managing games and teaching the young ones in terms of what you can do better to manage games and see out results.”
The 19-cap international has become an increasingly influential member of the Glory side this season, as the former Tottenham Hotspur player gradually settles into both a new country and a new league in a quicker time scale than she would ideally have liked.
“It seems to have been a short pre-season which has been tough, especially for those that have come in from overseas like myself. I had four months out of the game, training on my own, I feel I needed a few more weeks to get into it, but I feel things are starting to settle now. Friendships are building on and off the pitch. We’ve had a few injuries as well, so each week when the starting XI changes a bit, it’s been a bit tough.”
Wynne is starting to love the A-League Women, she is appreciative of its quality and believes it is testing her in new ways.
“You never know what you are going to get weekend to weekend,” she smiles. “Everyone seems to be beating everyone at the minute and there’s a hell of a lot of goals. I think the transitional side of it is very fast-paced and attacking – something I’m not used to as much, but I’ve been learning a lot the last few weeks. Hopefully, I continue to improve and make more of a mark than I have at the minute.
“I’ve been battered around a little bit, there’s a few bumps and bruises, but I like a physical battle so it’s been tough, but nothing I can’t handle.”
Something else that Wynne believes that she can handle is the long journey to Wellington later this week to take on the Phoenix on Saturday. Whilst there were no 5,000 km plus away trips in her career in the second tier in England, there were interminably long journeys cramped up on a bus that took longer than A-League Women away trips by plane.
“Travelling to Sunderland was six, seven hours on a coach, so for me, flying seems more of a walk in the park rather than jumping on a crammed coach. My room-mate will be Izzy Dalton and she’s done it plenty of times before, so I’ll learn off her, and learn ways to deal with the time difference (Wellington is five hours ahead of Perth).
“It’s certainly going to be different! A lot of us haven’t been to New Zealand, not alone the flight all the way there and that long trip, but we’ll be well prepared. We’re flying two days before.”
Despite the heartache and frustration of conceding another late goal to lose against Central Coast Mariners last weekend, Wynne revealed that positivity surrounds the Perth squad at present.
“We’ve had a good week of training, spirits are high after the weekend, obviously it was a tough result, but we’re looking to move on quickly, although the travel will be tough, I don’t think it fazes us, so the vibe is good.”
Wynne is aiming to continually step up her performance levels as she has the huge carrot of earning a recall to a Cymru squad who have sealed qualification for their first ever major international tournament later in 2025.
“There’s no better feeling. It’s been bittersweet – watching the girls back home, I haven’t been selected for the last couple of camps, but I’m hoping now that I’m back playing regularly and getting good minutes I can push my way in there and be in contention for a place maybe at the Euros.”
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