Miscellaneous Games

Western Australia U23 v Perth Glory

Written by Brett Klucznik

Played : October 7, 2000 Venue : Litis Stadium

Western Australia U23
Corey Hugo, Troy Bernard (Jamie Kuzmanovic 68), Steve MacDonald, Scott Broadley, Paul Cooke (Gary Andrews 75), Craig Surtees, Antonio Naglieri, Sandy Robertson, Steve White (Rory Mouttet 78), John Mirco (Louis Parkinson 78), Trim Morgan
Goals : White 38, Morgan 40 2 - 3 Perth Glory
Jason Petkovic (Tomislav Tomich 78), Gareth Naven, Ljubo Milicevic (Jamie Harnwell 46), Dion Valle (Shane Pryce 46), Rob Trajkovski, Scott Miller (John Carbone 68), Edgar (Anthony Danze 75), Brad Maloney, Alistair Edwards, Bobby Despotovski (PJ Roberts 21), Damian Mori
Goals : Despotovski 21, Mori 52, Edwards 70

Referee : Jeremy Oliphant
Attendance : 1400

Perth Glory had their final hit-out before the 2000/2001 N.S.L. season gets underway on the weekend with the Charity Shield clash against the W.A. Under-23 team at Litis Stadium on Saturday. The State team saw their preparations hampered by the withdrawal of strikers Nick Mrdja and Joe Liguan in the days leading up to the fixture, along with experienced midfielder Paul McVittie and defender Aaron Cole who pulled out earlier in the week. The N.S.L. side also had several players out, most notably Vinko Buljubasic (hamstring), Gary Faria (flu) and Peter Buljan (interstate) while clouds still hovered over the fitness of PJ Roberts and John Carbone. On the positive side for Glory, Shane Pryce, Scott Miller and Ljubo Milicevic all returned from recent injury/illness.
The first crack on target came after 6 minutes from Sandy Robertson, but his long range effort flew safely into the arms on Jason Petkovic. Other than that, the opening stages were dominated by Glory who mounted wave after wave of attack only to be denied by a combination of solid defending and great goalkeeping. Steve MacDonald and Scott Broadley had their work cut out for them in marking Damian Mori and Bobby Despotovski respectively, while behind them Troy Bernard was kept busy looking out for Glory's runners. But the hero for the State team was undoubtedly Cory Hugo who would thwart the opposition countless times over the course of the afternoon.
Although the 'keepers distribution at times left a lot to be desired, his work between the posts was outstanding. In the 8th minute Hugo's reflexes were put to the test by Alistair Edwards who sent an explosive drive from point blank range on target, only to be denied by the one-time Glory triallist. Twelve minutes later Paul Cooke clattered into Gareth Naven to give Glory a free-kick on the top of the area. Rob Trajkovski curled the ball into the 6-yard box to find Edwards, only for his powerful header to be turned away by an in-form Hugo, and Troy Bernard belted the parry to safety.
The State team were proving they could hold their own but, for all their good work, a defensive lapse would allow Glory to take the lead after 25 minutes. Brad Maloney turned Paul Cooke on the right before sending a looping ball into the area. Bobby Despotovski was allowed to run ball-side of the defence and sent a superbly executed header past Hugo. But the Glory striker landed awkwardly and hurt his knee in the move and was replaced immediately by Roberts who moved into midfield with Edwards going up-front.
Within two minutes it was Hugo to the rescue once again. Edwards raced onto a long clearance to catch the State defence well out of position, leaving Hugo with no option but to come well out of his area to defend. He managed to hold up Edwards while his defence got back, only for the Glory player to shoot as the 'keeper retreated - Hugo blocked the attempted chip with his chest then cleared the danger down the right flank. In reality it was lazy work from Edwards who should have done much better with a free shot on goal, but Hugo showed great composure and maturity when under pressure and outside his area.
Glory were exploiting their superior fitness and pace by playing the ball over the State backline for Damian Mori to run on to, only for the ball to often be over-hit and Hugo take control at the back under no pressure. On the occasions Glory's ploy worked, the State team sprung a well-worked off-side trap to halt Mori and his teammates in their tracks. The only clear cut chance on goal came in the 36th minute when Hugo parried a curling left-foot shot from Maloney, then blocked the close range follow-up effort of Mori to once again put on show his great reflexes.
After dominating the game early on, W.A. came back into the contest as their midfield got more involved in the game. With Sandy Robertson and Antonio Naglieri working hard, fellow midfielder Steve White proved the inspiration for a late half fightback. In the 38th minute he latched onto a long pass, took a couple of touches then flicked the ball past the advancing Petkovic to equalise. The State team had caught their more experienced opponents napping and made them pay for some very lackadaisical marking.
Within two minutes White would turn provider as W.A. took the lead. He made the highly rated Ljubo Milicevic look very ordinary on the left before pumping it high to the near post where Trim Morgan beat Dion Valle to the ball and sent a splendid downward header to the right of Petkovic which trundled over the line. It was a lovely piece of teamwork from the State boys - who had come together only eleven days before this match - with White's pin-point cross the key ingredient. But, from a Glory point of view, the fault must lie with Petkovic who was rooted to his line when he should have come for the cross.
Glory came out with all guns ablaze after the break and within minutes Roberts had picked out Mori but his header went well wide of the target. It wouldn't be long though before they were back on level terms, Naven sending a perfectly weighted 20 metre pass into the path of Mori, who out-paced MacDonald and Bernard then took his time in sliding it past the advancing Hugo. Two-all with 52 minutes gone and we had a game on our hands.
Glory stepped up the ante and had numerous chances to wrap up the game but saw every one of them go begging. Trajkovski and second half substitute Pryce teamed up well down the right to open up the State defence, the former seeing several of his low crosses scoot through the box without a Glory forward in sight. And when there were players there to receive the ball, the State defence were in the way to intercept and to relieve the pressure valve.
With several young players in State colours wanting to prove their worth, this was a friendly in name only. W.A. were in no mood to mess around and put everything into challenging for the ball, the result of which was several Glory players complaining about the ferocity of some tackles. With his in mind, there was a degree of nastiness in the contest from the opening stages but it appeared to be rapidly approaching boiling point. Gareth Naven was hacked down from behind by John Mirco after a long run out of defence by the Glory captain, but the referee still refused to take anyone's name. Mirco was also involved in a heated exchange with Edgar, and shortly after it was and Scott Miller and Morgan that were at eachother's throats.
As the clock ticked down, Glory were still searching for the winner in what was turning into a one-sided contest. Edgar sent an explosive drive from long range on target in the 69th minute, Hugo fumbled the save but pounced on the loose ball before Mori could get there. A minute later they found the breakthrough they were after when Trajkovski crossed from deep on the right and Edwards was allowed to jump unchallenged for ball to send it over Hugo and into the back of the net.
The N.S.L. side weren't content with a 3-2 scoreline and continued to press forward in numbers. It was down to Hugo that the margin didn't blow-out three minutes later, blocking a flying Edwards header from close range after another cross from Trajkovski, Maloney reacting quickly to the rebound but unable to get the ball under the crossbar. Then a stirring run from Mori in the 75th minute saw him set-up Harnwell who unleashed a blistering 25 metre shot which grazed the wrong side of the cross bar.
It wasn't just Glory that were coming close to adding to the scoreline, W.A. were also finding holes in their opponents defence mostly on the counter-attack but, with Pryce and Harnwell doing the job after the break, chances were a rare occurrence. Mid-way through the half Mirco, who was having a very quiet day by his standards, made a determined run only to see his shot whiz narrowly wide of the mark but Petkovic was positioned to make the save if necessary. Nine minutes from time Morgan sent a free-kick into the Glory wall, the follow-up was collected by Robertson but his shot didn't require any action from the recently introduced Tomislav Tomich. Shortly after a quickly taken throw-in from Rory Mouttet found Robertson, he flicked the ball over his head and into the path of Morgan but he couldn't make the most of the chance and put his shot over the line.
In the final minute Glory should have increased the margin. A lung-bursting run from Naven saw him draw Hugo off his line before slotting it across goal to Edwards who now had an open target. But the Glory player took too long and allowed MacDonald to make a lunging challenge which saw him deflect Edwards' shot off the boot.
At the end of the day the scoreline probably flattered the State side who really were out-played for much of the contest. Hugo was without a doubt the player of the match, Glory finding him in fantastic form between the posts which must have left coach Bernd Stange wondering why his club didn't pursue their interest in him a couple of years ago. Tall defender MacDonald and teenage midfielder Naglieri were also impressive. For Glory, Trajkovski proved a handful on the flank and got behind the State defence with some great ball control and strong runs. He teamed well with Pryce, while the other performer was Mori who ran all day to get into space and showed he's much more than just a goalscorer with some deft touches.
The result though left State coach Paul Wormley pleased with his troops effort, particularly given they'd only had two training sessions together before confronting Glory. "I think it definitely shows we've got the players here in W.A. to have another N.S.L. side," he said. "There were no players from Western Knights, Sorrento or Perth in that squad and there's still a couple of others I could've added."

Played : October 7, 2000				Venue : Litis Stadium
Western Australia U23 Corey Hugo, Troy Bernard (Jamie Kuzmanovic 68), Steve MacDonald, Scott Broadley, Paul Cooke (Gary Andrews 75), Craig Surtees, Antonio Naglieri, Sandy Robertson, Steve White (Rory Mouttet 78), John Mirco (Louis Parkinson 78), Trim Morgan Goals : White 38, Morgan 40	2	-	3	Perth Glory Jason Petkovic (Tomislav Tomich 78), Gareth Naven, Ljubo Milicevic (Jamie Harnwell 46), Dion Valle (Shane Pryce 46), Rob Trajkovski, Scott Miller (John Carbone 68), Edgar (Anthony Danze 75), Brad Maloney, Alistair Edwards, Bobby Despotovski (PJ Roberts 21), Damian Mori Goals : Despotovski 21, Mori 52, Edwards 70
Referee : Jeremy Oliphant Attendance : 1400
Perth Glory had their final hit-out before the 2000/2001 N.S.L. season gets underway on the weekend with the Charity Shield clash against the W.A. Under-23 team at Litis Stadium on Saturday. The State team saw their preparations hampered by the withdrawal of strikers Nick Mrdja and Joe Liguan in the days leading up to the fixture, along with experienced midfielder Paul McVittie and defender Aaron Cole who pulled out earlier in the week. The N.S.L. side also had several players out, most notably Vinko Buljubasic (hamstring), Gary Faria (flu) and Peter Buljan (interstate) while clouds still hovered over the fitness of PJ Roberts and John Carbone. On the positive side for Glory, Shane Pryce, Scott Miller and Ljubo Milicevic all returned from recent injury/illness. The first crack on target came after 6 minutes from Sandy Robertson, but his long range effort flew safely into the arms on Jason Petkovic. Other than that, the opening stages were dominated by Glory who mounted wave after wave of attack only to be denied by a combination of solid defending and great goalkeeping. Steve MacDonald and Scott Broadley had their work cut out for them in marking Damian Mori and Bobby Despotovski respectively, while behind them Troy Bernard was kept busy looking out for Glory's runners. But the hero for the State team was undoubtedly Cory Hugo who would thwart the opposition countless times over the course of the afternoon. Although the 'keepers distribution at times left a lot to be desired, his work between the posts was outstanding. In the 8th minute Hugo's reflexes were put to the test by Alistair Edwards who sent an explosive drive from point blank range on target, only to be denied by the one-time Glory triallist. Twelve minutes later Paul Cooke clattered into Gareth Naven to give Glory a free-kick on the top of the area. Rob Trajkovski curled the ball into the 6-yard box to find Edwards, only for his powerful header to be turned away by an in-form Hugo, and Troy Bernard belted the parry to safety. The State team were proving they could hold their own but, for all their good work, a defensive lapse would allow Glory to take the lead after 25 minutes. Brad Maloney turned Paul Cooke on the right before sending a looping ball into the area. Bobby Despotovski was allowed to run ball-side of the defence and sent a superbly executed header past Hugo. But the Glory striker landed awkwardly and hurt his knee in the move and was replaced immediately by Roberts who moved into midfield with Edwards going up-front. Within two minutes it was Hugo to the rescue once again. Edwards raced onto a long clearance to catch the State defence well out of position, leaving Hugo with no option but to come well out of his area to defend. He managed to hold up Edwards while his defence got back, only for the Glory player to shoot as the 'keeper retreated - Hugo blocked the attempted chip with his chest then cleared the danger down the right flank. In reality it was lazy work from Edwards who should have done much better with a free shot on goal, but Hugo showed great composure and maturity when under pressure and outside his area. Glory were exploiting their superior fitness and pace by playing the ball over the State backline for Damian Mori to run on to, only for the ball to often be over-hit and Hugo take control at the back under no pressure. On the occasions Glory's ploy worked, the State team sprung a well-worked off-side trap to halt Mori and his teammates in their tracks. The only clear cut chance on goal came in the 36th minute when Hugo parried a curling left-foot shot from Maloney, then blocked the close range follow-up effort of Mori to once again put on show his great reflexes. After dominating the game early on, W.A. came back into the contest as their midfield got more involved in the game. With Sandy Robertson and Antonio Naglieri working hard, fellow midfielder Steve White proved the inspiration for a late half fightback. In the 38th minute he latched onto a long pass, took a couple of touches then flicked the ball past the advancing Petkovic to equalise. The State team had caught their more experienced opponents napping and made them pay for some very lackadaisical marking. Within two minutes White would turn provider as W.A. took the lead. He made the highly rated Ljubo Milicevic look very ordinary on the left before pumping it high to the near post where Trim Morgan beat Dion Valle to the ball and sent a splendid downward header to the right of Petkovic which trundled over the line. It was a lovely piece of teamwork from the State boys - who had come together only eleven days before this match - with White's pin-point cross the key ingredient. But, from a Glory point of view, the fault must lie with Petkovic who was rooted to his line when he should have come for the cross. Glory came out with all guns ablaze after the break and within minutes Roberts had picked out Mori but his header went well wide of the target. It wouldn't be long though before they were back on level terms, Naven sending a perfectly weighted 20 metre pass into the path of Mori, who out-paced MacDonald and Bernard then took his time in sliding it past the advancing Hugo. Two-all with 52 minutes gone and we had a game on our hands. Glory stepped up the ante and had numerous chances to wrap up the game but saw every one of them go begging. Trajkovski and second half substitute Pryce teamed up well down the right to open up the State defence, the former seeing several of his low crosses scoot through the box without a Glory forward in sight. And when there were players there to receive the ball, the State defence were in the way to intercept and to relieve the pressure valve. With several young players in State colours wanting to prove their worth, this was a friendly in name only. W.A. were in no mood to mess around and put everything into challenging for the ball, the result of which was several Glory players complaining about the ferocity of some tackles. With his in mind, there was a degree of nastiness in the contest from the opening stages but it appeared to be rapidly approaching boiling point. Gareth Naven was hacked down from behind by John Mirco after a long run out of defence by the Glory captain, but the referee still refused to take anyone's name. Mirco was also involved in a heated exchange with Edgar, and shortly after it was and Scott Miller and Morgan that were at eachother's throats. As the clock ticked down, Glory were still searching for the winner in what was turning into a one-sided contest. Edgar sent an explosive drive from long range on target in the 69th minute, Hugo fumbled the save but pounced on the loose ball before Mori could get there. A minute later they found the breakthrough they were after when Trajkovski crossed from deep on the right and Edwards was allowed to jump unchallenged for ball to send it over Hugo and into the back of the net. The N.S.L. side weren't content with a 3-2 scoreline and continued to press forward in numbers. It was down to Hugo that the margin didn't blow-out three minutes later, blocking a flying Edwards header from close range after another cross from Trajkovski, Maloney reacting quickly to the rebound but unable to get the ball under the crossbar. Then a stirring run from Mori in the 75th minute saw him set-up Harnwell who unleashed a blistering 25 metre shot which grazed the wrong side of the cross bar. It wasn't just Glory that were coming close to adding to the scoreline, W.A. were also finding holes in their opponents defence mostly on the counter-attack but, with Pryce and Harnwell doing the job after the break, chances were a rare occurrence. Mid-way through the half Mirco, who was having a very quiet day by his standards, made a determined run only to see his shot whiz narrowly wide of the mark but Petkovic was positioned to make the save if necessary. Nine minutes from time Morgan sent a free-kick into the Glory wall, the follow-up was collected by Robertson but his shot didn't require any action from the recently introduced Tomislav Tomich. Shortly after a quickly taken throw-in from Rory Mouttet found Robertson, he flicked the ball over his head and into the path of Morgan but he couldn't make the most of the chance and put his shot over the line. In the final minute Glory should have increased the margin. A lung-bursting run from Naven saw him draw Hugo off his line before slotting it across goal to Edwards who now had an open target. But the Glory player took too long and allowed MacDonald to make a lunging challenge which saw him deflect Edwards' shot off the boot. At the end of the day the scoreline probably flattered the State side who really were out-played for much of the contest. Hugo was without a doubt the player of the match, Glory finding him in fantastic form between the posts which must have left coach Bernd Stange wondering why his club didn't pursue their interest in him a couple of years ago. Tall defender MacDonald and teenage midfielder Naglieri were also impressive. For Glory, Trajkovski proved a handful on the flank and got behind the State defence with some great ball control and strong runs. He teamed well with Pryce, while the other performer was Mori who ran all day to get into space and showed he's much more than just a goalscorer with some deft touches. The result though left State coach Paul Wormley pleased with his troops effort, particularly given they'd only had two training sessions together before confronting Glory. "I think it definitely shows we've got the players here in W.A. to have another N.S.L. side," he said. "There were no players from Western Knights, Sorrento or Perth in that squad and there's still a couple of others I could've added."