Perth’s A-League season might have been destroyed by the club’s salary cap breach but they demonstrated their trademark resilience on Saturday with a final-round 2-1 away win over Western Sydney, despite being reduced to 10 men during the second half.
The Glory’s leading goalscorer Andy Keogh nabbed an impressive second-half winner at Pirtek Stadium after Wanderers teenage debutant Liam Youlley struck just after halftime to cancel out Jamie McClaren’s opener.
The match was delayed for 50 minutes after a torrent of hail carpeted the pitch following a heavy storm which moved across Sydney half-an-hour before kickoff.
And the stormy weather proved somewhat of a metaphor for both clubs’ respective seasons, albeit for very different reasons.
The second-last Wanderers managed just four wins in a bizarre campaign in which they also became the first A-League club to win the Asian Champions League.
The Glory will be relegated to seventh after this weekend’s final round following their high-profile salary cap infringement, even though their win over the Wanderers leaves them trailing leaders Melbourne Victory only on goal difference.
It was the second win in three matches for Perth since Football Federation Australia ruled the club would be ineligible to play in the finals.
And Glory coach Kenny Lowe hailed his players’ character after they claimed all three points, despite the 75th-minute dismissal of Denis Kramer.
“It was a good end to the season and thoroughly deserved by the players,” said Lowe.
“I think they have been absolutely magnificent throughout it all, so it is a good way to finish off.
“We now have the same number of points as Melbourne Victory who are a hell of a team so, to do that, we must be half decent.”
The Glory had the better of proceedings against a partly experimental Wanderers line-up, but it was only modest Anzac Day entertainment offered up on a slippery surface.
Perth started the stronger and could have opened the scoring when Richard Garcia’s looping header rebounded off the inside of the post.
However, the visitors were soon rewarded as McClaren notched his fifth goal in as many outings with a firm low shot, after Rostyn Griffiths had slid a pass behind the backline.
The home side eventually found their feet although Danny Vukovic’s goal was threatened only infrequently during the first half, most notably via shots from Kerem Bulut and Steve Kuzmanovski.
Following the break, Danny De Silva, in his final outing before a move to AS Roma, spooned a close-range effort over the bar in one of the misses of the season after Garcia had again hit the crossbar with a header.
Having threatened to go two goals clear, a poor lapse from the Glory then allowed the Wanderers their equaliser as an unmarked Youlley drew his side level with a low shot that took three deflections as it trickled through a crowd of legs.
Keogh, however, had the final say midway through the second half after directing an impressive first-time finish inside the far post following superb lead-up from Josh Risdon.
Bondy
Guest
A good doged win by the Glory. Poppa's got something's to workout being turned over by a team that had nothing to play for ....
Horto Magiko
Guest
"Woohoo. No mention of police actions." Or jokes about how well pepper and bacon go together :) Peppa pig? anyone? But really, we shouldn't be ignoring the swine in the room.
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
I don't think people were refunded in 2010 either. Although it happened at the start of the year not the end of it so it probably wasn't a big market at the time.
britesparke
Roar Rookie
My information is this: If I were to have had a bet on either WSW or the Jets taking the wooden spoon and then the unforeseen happens -Glory is consigned to the bottom. Guess what? I am entitled to a refund of my money. So that means all the wagers placed on either the Jets or WSW are refunded. Your assertion is incorrect.
William Dalton Davis
Roar Rookie
Betting agencies wouldn't have paid out of they were relegated to last anyway. Same as they didn't when the storm were found out in 2010.
AZ_RBB
Guest
It felt like the 3rd or 4th time. The other time which stands out was against City where I had to stop my car in the middle of the road because I literally couldn't see where I was going anymore.
britesparke
Roar Rookie
It is indicative of the influence the gambling industry has on our game. When Gallop was with the NRL and the Bulldogs saga surfaced, they were consigned to last place on the table. Now with the FFA and faced with a similar scandal, Gallop should have consigned Glory to last place but lo and behold (to the detriment of the teams below Glory who did not cheat) they are in 7th. Now if Glory had gone to bottom the gambling industry would have to have paid out big time due to an "unforeseen" as the betting was becoming interesting as to who would get the wooden spoon. This way they get to keep some money!
conchie
Roar Rookie
Except by you of course !.
Waz
Guest
It's also odd that the two sides with the heaviest playing schedule (Wanderers and Roar) have experienced the extremes of the weather on more than one occasion this season. If there is a God of Football he's having a laugh ...
Waz
Guest
There was a decent explanation on the Perth punishment from the head of the A League here: http://www.a-league.com.au/article/seventh-place-not-first-priority-in-perth-glory-sanction/i6ggwjt6m4fp1bjv0oxdygbbs Basically the punishment was exclusion from the finals and not a more specific points deduction or actual table position. Still not sure I'm 100% clear but it does explain some of the thinking
Gareth
Guest
I guess because the team still managed some success. If they hadnt breached the cap there's nothing to say they couldn't still have performed well. But yes, 7th does seem fairly arbitrary, last might be a bit less fair to the hard-working players who didn't do anything wrong but would make more sense.
Bart
Guest
Why it was 7th specifically baffles me, last would have been much easier to understand and justify.
AZ_RBB
Guest
It's been a long season for everyone. Especially for the cops who have spent nearly a year standing around doing nothing in massive numbers. I thought the atmosphere last night was very decent considering everything that has happened this year and did happen in the game.
Roary
Guest
The result is a non event given that they (Perth) were still playing with players over the salary cap. Cannot believe they have been relegated to 7th, they should have been consigned to last place on the table.
ciudadmarron
Guest
Woohoo. No mention of police actions.