As the football season draws to a close and many turn their gaze to cup finals and the upcoming European Championships in France, one club has been very, very busy.
In the wake of their underwhelming elimination final exit, Perth Glory have been on the recruitment drive, adding a host of impressive signings they hope will give them a tilt at next season’s A-League title
With the likes of Chris Herd, Shane Lowry, Adam Taggart, Joseph Mills and Rhys Williams already confirmed to be heading west (or more accurately very far south), there’s no reason why Glory can’t challenge for honours in 12 months’ time.
Let’s take a look at each signing:
Chris Herd
The fringe Socceroo joins from League One side Chesterfield but it’s his past experience with former Premier League side Aston Villa that makes him such a valuable recruit.
He made 36 appearances for Villa over five years and has featured for the Socceroos on three occasions. Herd’s ability to be used anywhere from in midfield to fullback will help Perth immensely, especially if injuries come calling.
In addition to his own ability, Herd’s experience garnered from playing the game at the highest level will no doubt rub off on Glory youngsters Josh Risdon and fellow recruit Taggart, who both have the potential for impressive careers in green and gold.
Shane Lowry
Like Herd, Lowry brings with him a wealth of experience from English football. Interestingly, Lowry began his youth career alongside Herd at Aston Villa before going on to play for Millwall, Plymouth Argyle, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Leyton Orient and Birmingham City.
Having already joined Glory in early 2016, Lowry looks set to help consolidate Perth’s defence.
Adam Taggart
Former A-League golden boot winner Taggart returns home after disappointing spells with Fulham and Dundee United.
A Western Australia junior, Taggart started his career with the Glory before moving east to link up with the Newcastle Jets. It was here he enjoyed the most success with his 16-goal season in 2013-14 earning him a spot in the Socceroos’ 2014 World Cup squad.
Taggart has since been plagued by injury and didn’t make a single appearance for Fulham before being loaned out to Scottish side Dundee.
After such a frustrating run, Taggart will be eager to hit the ground running come October.
Joseph Mills
Mills is another English defender recruited by Kenny Lowe to add some steel to Perth’s back four. Like Herd and Lowry, Mills has considerable experience with Championship and League One clubs.
Having represented Southampton, Burnley, Reading and Oldham, just to name a few, Mills arrives in Australia ready to start a new chapter in his career.
Rhys Williams
Like Herd, Williams is a fringe Socceroo and has plied his trade for Middlesbrough for nearly ten years. A strong defender, Williams has been extremely unlucky not to have added to his 14 caps for Australia.
He missed the 2010 and 2014 World Cups due to various injuries and will no doubt be looking to put it all behind him upon his return to his hometown of Perth.
As we can see, Lowe is determined to add some steel to Perth’s backline.
With four defenders having experience in England’s upper tiers as well as Taggart’s unquestionable talent, Perth could well have the strongest line-up in the A-League.
Now, they just need to execute.
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Here is the way the Roar expert panel sees all the action unfolding across the final weekend of play prior to the semi-finals.
Mathew Leckie played a pivotal part in Melbourne City claiming an 8-nil win; playing a role in several of his team's goals.
The loser of the Sydney Derby will be under immense pressure entering the final three matches of the season.
A good performance from Michael Ruhs, scoring twice to beat Macarthur and doubling his season goal tally in the process.
Sydney moved into fourth with their point but Glory's finals hopes are now officially extinguished.
Anthony Caceres is a player with immense talent and has a fantastic work rate, broke the deadlock against the Mariners in the 74th minute.
