Perth Glory

Sep 26, 2022

Mon, 26 September 2022 1:38PM Share to Facebook Copy the Link Perth Glory coach Ruben Zadkovich admits the side will be stepping into the unknown as the opening game of the A-League season fast approaches. Glory have only played one A-League side in their pre-season build up, a goalless draw with Central Coast Mariners in Gosford three weeks ago. And they face the momentous task of playing their first six games on the road, starting with Western Sydney in two weeks, while their temporary home at Macedonia Park is given a makeover. Glory will play at the Balcatta ground until March after being booted out of HBF Park because of delays to the $35 million upgrade for next year’s Women’s World Cup. “As a gauge the Mariners game was a pretty good one but we didn’t have enough of those type of games to give us a really good indication of where we are at,” Zadkovich said. “We are going to have to go into the first game somewhat blind. “It is going to be very difficult, it is just one of the complex challenges we face, but we are going to embrace every hardship and every challenge. Camera Icon Can Glory get their season off to a strong start? Credit: Paul Kane/Getty Images “Six games away from home is massive but so be it, it’s out of our control. “We have to be resilient and worry about what we can control. “I will try and relieve the mental pressure on the boys. We probably don’t have enough match fitness at A-League intensity but this group could not work any harder on the training pitch.” Glory scored six against the WA state side on Sunday in their final pre-season hit out and while Zadkovich was happy with the result he is still searching for more cohesion. “It’s always nice to win but the result was neither here nor there,” he said. “What we were chasing was the performance and we looked really slick, really sharp. “We scored a few goals, that was nice. We created more a lot more chances and it could have been eight or nine to be honest “We now have to refine the involvement, the combinations, the timing of the runs. We still need to be more cohesive. “There’s clarity in roles, the principles and the style of football we want to play but it’s still at an early stage and there’s a lot of work to be done. “The improvement and understanding will only come with time together.”