Perth Glory 2013/2014 Season Preview

The 2013/14 season will be Alistair Edwards’ first full campaign in charge of Perth Glory and he will no doubt be aiming to guide the club to the Grand Final, a feat they achieved in 2012. Edwards’ stamp is all over this squad and he has brought in a number of youngsters with whom he has experience coaching at international level.
 

Last season:
A-League6^th

Finals: Elimination finals

They’ll win because…

...there is a great balance between youth and experience. The spine of the team has been around the block more than once with Danny Vukovic, Michael Thwaite, Ljubo Milicevic, Steve McGarry, Jacob Burns and Shane Smeltz all seasoned pros. Vukovic’s decision to sign a new three year deal with the club was a massive boost and he is the perfect mentor for promising back up goalkeeper Jack Duncan who joined from the Newcastle Jets.

The likes of Jamie Maclaren, Danny De Silva, and the Edwards brothers Cameron and Ryan have all made appearances for their country at underage level. They will no doubt be relishing a full campaign in the A-League.

They’ll be cellar dwellers because…

...they won’t score enough goals. Shane Smeltz endured an injury interrupted 2012/13 season and scored just seven times. The league’s all-time leading goal scorer is currently sidelined following surgery on a troublesome hip, while a melanoma was also discovered on the Kiwi’s leg but thankfully that was caught in its early stages and removed.

His absence leaves the goal scoring responsibilities resting on the shoulders of some inexperienced players who have barely played in the league, let alone lit up the goal scoring charts. Jamie Maclaren looks likely to fill the void left by Smeltz.

Glory scored the fewest goals out of the league’s ten teams last season (29).

Talk around the water cooler…

Alistair Edwards and Ljubo Milicevic played together at Glory for two seasons and were both members of the side that lost the 2000 NSL Grand Final against the Wollongong Wolves on penalties. Indeed, Milicevic became the youngest player ever to score in an NSL Grand Final when he notched in the first half.

The off-season brought…

...changes, and plenty of them. Glory now has stability with Alistair Edwards’ position as coach having being made permanently back in March, and the former Socceroo wasted no time making his mark on the squad. Out have gone veterans like Dean Heffernan and Nick Ward, and in their place have come some players in their late teens and early 20s.

The club also made a change at board level with Jason Brewer joining as Chief Executive Officer, and a two year deal was inked with Italian brand Macron who will now supply the club’s official playing kit, leisurewear and merchandise.

Key player…

...Shane Smeltz. As already mentioned, the New Zealand international will miss Glory’s first few fixtures through injury, and will also require some time to get up to speed once he returns to the squad.

Smeltz is still the most dangerous striker in the league though and with plenty of energetic youngsters around him, he should receive more consistent service than he has done in previous seasons.

If Glory are to push for the top four at least then you will feel that Smeltz will need to hit double figures at the very least.

One to watch…

...Daniel De Silva. There’s plenty of raw talent to be excited about in this Perth Glory squad but top of the class is 16 year old De Silva. The underage international burst on to the scene last season with a home debut against Sydney FC, becoming the league’s second youngest player ever at 15 years and 352 days.

During the offseason, De Silva represented Australia at the FIFA Under 20 World Cup in Turkey. He put in a Man of the Match performance against Colombia and scored in the 1-1 draw.

He has been used sparingly during Glory’s preseason hit outs as Alistair Edwards manages his game time, but expect De Silva to be a big part of the regular season.

Full squad list…

1. Danny VUKOVIC, 2. Jack CLISBY, 3. Brandon O’NEILL, 4. Ryan EDWARDS, 5. Steve PANTELIDIS, 6. Cameron EDWARDS, 7. Jacob BURNS ©, 8. Ryo NAGAI, 9. Shane SMELTZ, 10. Jamie MACLAREN, 11. Adrian ZAHRA, 12. Ljubo MILICEVIC, 13. Travis DODD, 14. Steven MCGARRY, 15. Isaka CERNAK, 16. SIDNEI Sciola Moraes, 17. Chris HAROLD, 18. Jack DUNCAN, 19. Joshua RISDON, 20. Daniel DE SILVA, 21. Scott JAMIESON, 22. Ndumba MAKECHE, 23. Michael THWAITE, 24. Matthew DAVIES, 25. Harry O'BRIEN, 26. Riley WOODCOCK, 27. Dean EVANS (injury replacement).