Perth Glory v Adelaide City

These statistics were written and researched for the OzSoccer archive by Searlais Mullen and Greg Stock.

As part of Perth Glory's preseason warmup they played a friendly match against the visiting club side Adelaide City.

Played : Sunday September 14 1997 Venue : Dorrien Gardens, Perth

Perth Glory
20.Tony Franken (1.Tom Maras 46'), 3.Craig Naven, 4.Gavin Wilkinson (13.Afkos), 6.Gareth Naven, 7.Scott Miller, 9.Paul Strudwick, 10.Bobby Despotovski, 11.Ernie Tapai, 15.Peter Vukmirovic, 16.Sasha Markovski, 18.Danny Hay
Goals : Despotovski 3' Tapai 30'pk 2 - 1 Adelaide City
1.Les Pogliacomi (20.Jason Petkovic), 2.Bradley Armour, 4.Milan Ivanovic, 7.Damian Mori, 9.Dino Mennillo, 10.John Gibson, 11.Kris Trajanovski (13.Mark Brazzale), 16.Mark Yates (6.Angelo Costanzo 46'), 17.Alex Tobin, 18.Scott Thomas, 21.Nick Sabljak (14.Kosta Salapasidis 46')
Goal : Salapasidis 50'

Referee : Lou Prospero
Attendance : approx 3,000

A healthy crowd turned up for this match on a mild but sunny September day. The couple of thousand through the gates fitted comfortably around the ground's perimeter. The atmosphere hardly had the intensity of Perth Oval, but instead it was laid back and easy going. The taunts were not so much angry as jocular.

Adelaide City were the first big name opposition of Glory's pre-season warm-up. The Zebras are tipped by most to win next year's Ericsson Cup, and the main reason is that they've signed Socceroo strikers Damian Mori and Kris Trajanovski. Added to that they had kept all their top names, including legendary defenders Tobin and Ivanovic, keeper Jason Petkovic and talented young attacking midfielder Kosta Salapasidis. A formidable line-up. However, I don't believe they had played many matches going into this encounter.

Glory would field the same team as that which failed against Dianella in midweek. The only change was Craig Naven replacing Vlad Beretovac on the right flank. Craig Naven is a handy defender, but is simply not suited to playing on the right. I wonder why Marocchi does it. Up front Sasha Markovski would get perhaps his last chance to impress Marocchi and land a contract. Encouragingly James Afkos was on the bench.

Glory started the match looking the more incisive team, and the first goal came from the first chance. A cross into Adelaide's box was poorly headed by Ivanovic towards his own goal. Behind him Bobby Despotovski was lurking. Adelaide keeper Pogliacomi tried to close Bobby down but our Red Star managed to scramble it past him into the net. One-nil, and a good piece of opportunism by Bobby.

Adelaide City looked hopelessly disjointed through midfield and up front, but they still managed to create a good chance or two. Not long after Glory's opener they enjoyed a spell of pressure and nearly scored when Trajanovski failed to connect with an easy header. Trajanovski was also denied by Franken who managed to smother a through-ball. A while later Mori managed to pick up the scraps from a desperate tackle from Shack, and Franken pulled off a great save from a tight-angled shot. But it was always Glory who looked more dangerous, even though they didn't create many clear-cut chances. Tapai played a brilliant game in midfield and caused the Zebras a ton of trouble. Unfortunately final passes were always going astray.

Finally the pressure paid dividends when Gareth Naven received the ball in space inside the penalty box, but as he turned he was knocked over from behind by Tobin. The WWTW had no hesitation in awarding the penalty. As expected Bobby did not take it - instead it was Tapai who placed the ball. He converted it with ease, although it did hit the post going in. Two-nil and Glory were well on top. Before the break Scotty Miller should have made it three. A clever exchange on the left between Bobby and Strudders put the latter free, and he curled in a dangerous cross. Pogliacomi did very well to punch it clear, but it fell to Miller on the edge of the box. He lobbed it on the half volley and unluckily it just cleared the post.

At half time Adelaide City were obviously given a bollocking by coach John Nyskohus. He took off Yates and Sabljak, the former having done a poor job of containing Bobby. Salapasidis came on and was placed up front with Mori. The disappointing Trajanovski was dropped back into midfield. For Glory Tommy Maras replaced an impressive Franken in goals.

The Zebras started the second half in a much more determined mood. Glory were suddenly struggling to keep them out. It only took five minutes for Adelaide to peg one back. A ball through the middle found Salapasidis and he neatly steered it past Maras. A very similar goal to the ones he scored against Argentina in the last World Youth Cup. A few more chances fell to the stripey ones, with Mennillo driving a shot wide and Maras saving an excellent strike from outside the box. Correspondingly Adelaide were toughening up their act in midfield, with four nasty fouls in succession. None earned a yellow card, but a similar one by Miller was. Odd refereeing. Glory's only riposte was a thumping shot by Strudders that went directly at Adelaide's keeper.

Gradually the Adelaide challenge lost steam and Glory began to coast. The Zebras enjoyed at least sixty percent of possession but couldn't do anything with it. The cool and composed Glory defence kept them out without much difficulty. Wilkinson came off midway through the half and Afkos got his second run for Glory. He played on the right and Craig Naven dropped back into defence. If anything the defence looked tighter, with Shack stifling Mori as effectively as he deprived Trajanovski. Craig Naven also looked good marking Salapasidis. Afkos looked skilful and lively for a while but quickly faded - fitness seems to be a problem.

Glory began to create a few chances as the Zebras began to tire. Miller and Bobby continuously combined well on the left, and on one such occasion Bobby managed to get free. He seemed to mishit his shot but somehow it beat Petkovic (who had replaced Pogliacomi) and hit the post. Later Markovski finally got a good ball in the centre but needed far too much time to control and turn, and in the end was forced to lay it wide to Afkos. The move came to nought.

Glory cruised over the last few minutes and never looked like giving up the lead. The lads in the wet area near the northern goal gave the Zebras a pasting, especially Brazzale. Brazzale placed the ball for a corner, and a fan shouted to him, "That's the ugly ball, that is. It does strange things ..." Then, when he went to take it the crowd roared at him and to our joy he stuffed it up completely. He came back to take the resultant throw in and the taunts flew around him. He shook his head in exasperation. Excellent stuff!

An excellent win for Glory and a very encouraging one for next season. The whole team played well, with only one or two exceptions. Gareth Naven was crap again and the amount of times he lost possession was frightening. Why does Marocchi keep playing him? Maras in the second half looked dodgy and some of his kick-outs were heart-stoppers. Every Glory supporter thinks he's dodgy, and again one has to wonder why Marocchi plays him. Sasha Markovski was disappointing, even when you consider he was marked the whole match by Tobin. He just doesn't have the sharpness of an NSL striker yet. Methinks Marocchi won't sign him.

The rest of the team looked good. Bobby and Tapai were our two best performers, although the latter faded badly towards the end of the match. Miller was excellent on the left and defended as well as he attacked. He seemed the fittest man on the pitch as well. Shack put in a beauty and was out best defender on the day. Wilkinson marked Mori out of the match. Danny Hay was solid and composed. Craig Naven was crap on the right flank but when back in defence looked useful. Strudders played well for most of the match but towards the end couldn't even control the ball.

Adelaide City were well beaten on the day. They were very rusty and one wonders how much they've played recently. Mori and Trajanovski were both very disappointing. Expect a much tougher encounter when they meet us at Perth Oval on October 12.

The WWTW was Lou Prospero, easily the worst in the state, and today he was no better than usual. Quite how he sees some free kicks and not others is beyond the ken of mortal men. I shouldn't complain too much though - he failed to spot two Glory hand balls in the penalty box in the second half!

Glory continue to be perhaps the most inconsistent team in the country. We seem to play to the occasion. Dianella are nobodies and we struggled badly. Adelaide City are the championship favourites and we beat them easily. It seems we can beat the best, but not the shite. If we're to win the championship next season we'll have to produce these performances every match. All this said it was an encouraging result and once Vinko is fit again and Marocchi signs a right back and striker we'll be truly formidable.

As part of Perth Glory's preseason warmup they played a friendly match against the visiting club side Adelaide City.
Played : Sunday September 14 1997				Venue : Dorrien Gardens, Perth
Perth Glory 20.Tony Franken (1.Tom Maras 46'), 3.Craig Naven, 4.Gavin Wilkinson (13.Afkos), 6.Gareth Naven, 7.Scott Miller, 9.Paul Strudwick, 10.Bobby Despotovski, 11.Ernie Tapai, 15.Peter Vukmirovic, 16.Sasha Markovski, 18.Danny Hay Goals : Despotovski 3' Tapai 30'pk	2	-	1	Adelaide City 1.Les Pogliacomi (20.Jason Petkovic), 2.Bradley Armour, 4.Milan Ivanovic, 7.Damian Mori, 9.Dino Mennillo, 10.John Gibson, 11.Kris Trajanovski (13.Mark Brazzale), 16.Mark Yates (6.Angelo Costanzo 46'), 17.Alex Tobin, 18.Scott Thomas, 21.Nick Sabljak (14.Kosta Salapasidis 46') Goal : Salapasidis 50'
Referee : Lou Prospero Attendance : approx 3,000
A healthy crowd turned up for this match on a mild but sunny September day. The couple of thousand through the gates fitted comfortably around the ground's perimeter. The atmosphere hardly had the intensity of Perth Oval, but instead it was laid back and easy going. The taunts were not so much angry as jocular. Adelaide City were the first big name opposition of Glory's pre-season warm-up. The Zebras are tipped by most to win next year's Ericsson Cup, and the main reason is that they've signed Socceroo strikers Damian Mori and Kris Trajanovski. Added to that they had kept all their top names, including legendary defenders Tobin and Ivanovic, keeper Jason Petkovic and talented young attacking midfielder Kosta Salapasidis. A formidable line-up. However, I don't believe they had played many matches going into this encounter. Glory would field the same team as that which failed against Dianella in midweek. The only change was Craig Naven replacing Vlad Beretovac on the right flank. Craig Naven is a handy defender, but is simply not suited to playing on the right. I wonder why Marocchi does it. Up front Sasha Markovski would get perhaps his last chance to impress Marocchi and land a contract. Encouragingly James Afkos was on the bench. Glory started the match looking the more incisive team, and the first goal came from the first chance. A cross into Adelaide's box was poorly headed by Ivanovic towards his own goal. Behind him Bobby Despotovski was lurking. Adelaide keeper Pogliacomi tried to close Bobby down but our Red Star managed to scramble it past him into the net. One-nil, and a good piece of opportunism by Bobby. Adelaide City looked hopelessly disjointed through midfield and up front, but they still managed to create a good chance or two. Not long after Glory's opener they enjoyed a spell of pressure and nearly scored when Trajanovski failed to connect with an easy header. Trajanovski was also denied by Franken who managed to smother a through-ball. A while later Mori managed to pick up the scraps from a desperate tackle from Shack, and Franken pulled off a great save from a tight-angled shot. But it was always Glory who looked more dangerous, even though they didn't create many clear-cut chances. Tapai played a brilliant game in midfield and caused the Zebras a ton of trouble. Unfortunately final passes were always going astray. Finally the pressure paid dividends when Gareth Naven received the ball in space inside the penalty box, but as he turned he was knocked over from behind by Tobin. The WWTW had no hesitation in awarding the penalty. As expected Bobby did not take it - instead it was Tapai who placed the ball. He converted it with ease, although it did hit the post going in. Two-nil and Glory were well on top. Before the break Scotty Miller should have made it three. A clever exchange on the left between Bobby and Strudders put the latter free, and he curled in a dangerous cross. Pogliacomi did very well to punch it clear, but it fell to Miller on the edge of the box. He lobbed it on the half volley and unluckily it just cleared the post. At half time Adelaide City were obviously given a bollocking by coach John Nyskohus. He took off Yates and Sabljak, the former having done a poor job of containing Bobby. Salapasidis came on and was placed up front with Mori. The disappointing Trajanovski was dropped back into midfield. For Glory Tommy Maras replaced an impressive Franken in goals. The Zebras started the second half in a much more determined mood. Glory were suddenly struggling to keep them out. It only took five minutes for Adelaide to peg one back. A ball through the middle found Salapasidis and he neatly steered it past Maras. A very similar goal to the ones he scored against Argentina in the last World Youth Cup. A few more chances fell to the stripey ones, with Mennillo driving a shot wide and Maras saving an excellent strike from outside the box. Correspondingly Adelaide were toughening up their act in midfield, with four nasty fouls in succession. None earned a yellow card, but a similar one by Miller was. Odd refereeing. Glory's only riposte was a thumping shot by Strudders that went directly at Adelaide's keeper. Gradually the Adelaide challenge lost steam and Glory began to coast. The Zebras enjoyed at least sixty percent of possession but couldn't do anything with it. The cool and composed Glory defence kept them out without much difficulty. Wilkinson came off midway through the half and Afkos got his second run for Glory. He played on the right and Craig Naven dropped back into defence. If anything the defence looked tighter, with Shack stifling Mori as effectively as he deprived Trajanovski. Craig Naven also looked good marking Salapasidis. Afkos looked skilful and lively for a while but quickly faded - fitness seems to be a problem. Glory began to create a few chances as the Zebras began to tire. Miller and Bobby continuously combined well on the left, and on one such occasion Bobby managed to get free. He seemed to mishit his shot but somehow it beat Petkovic (who had replaced Pogliacomi) and hit the post. Later Markovski finally got a good ball in the centre but needed far too much time to control and turn, and in the end was forced to lay it wide to Afkos. The move came to nought. Glory cruised over the last few minutes and never looked like giving up the lead. The lads in the wet area near the northern goal gave the Zebras a pasting, especially Brazzale. Brazzale placed the ball for a corner, and a fan shouted to him, "That's the ugly ball, that is. It does strange things ..." Then, when he went to take it the crowd roared at him and to our joy he stuffed it up completely. He came back to take the resultant throw in and the taunts flew around him. He shook his head in exasperation. Excellent stuff! An excellent win for Glory and a very encouraging one for next season. The whole team played well, with only one or two exceptions. Gareth Naven was crap again and the amount of times he lost possession was frightening. Why does Marocchi keep playing him? Maras in the second half looked dodgy and some of his kick-outs were heart-stoppers. Every Glory supporter thinks he's dodgy, and again one has to wonder why Marocchi plays him. Sasha Markovski was disappointing, even when you consider he was marked the whole match by Tobin. He just doesn't have the sharpness of an NSL striker yet. Methinks Marocchi won't sign him. The rest of the team looked good. Bobby and Tapai were our two best performers, although the latter faded badly towards the end of the match. Miller was excellent on the left and defended as well as he attacked. He seemed the fittest man on the pitch as well. Shack put in a beauty and was out best defender on the day. Wilkinson marked Mori out of the match. Danny Hay was solid and composed. Craig Naven was crap on the right flank but when back in defence looked useful. Strudders played well for most of the match but towards the end couldn't even control the ball. Adelaide City were well beaten on the day. They were very rusty and one wonders how much they've played recently. Mori and Trajanovski were both very disappointing. Expect a much tougher encounter when they meet us at Perth Oval on October 12. The WWTW was Lou Prospero, easily the worst in the state, and today he was no better than usual. Quite how he sees some free kicks and not others is beyond the ken of mortal men. I shouldn't complain too much though - he failed to spot two Glory hand balls in the penalty box in the second half! Glory continue to be perhaps the most inconsistent team in the country. We seem to play to the occasion. Dianella are nobodies and we struggled badly. Adelaide City are the championship favourites and we beat them easily. It seems we can beat the best, but not the shite. If we're to win the championship next season we'll have to produce these performances every match. All this said it was an encouraging result and once Vinko is fit again and Marocchi signs a right back and striker we'll be truly formidable.