Lowe points to inexperience after late Glory defeat

Perth Glory interim coach Kenny Lowe was clear where the blame lies for last night’s 2-1 defeat to Melbourne Victory at nib Stadium.

Archie Thompson’s winner at the death saw Glory leave the field to a chorus of boos and Lowe believes that inexperience caused his side to throw away a point.

“When the ball goes out for a throw in on 89 minutes you’ve got to be switched on and diligent,” he said of the late goal which game from a harmless looking throw in.

“And again, naivety from ourselves and the younger players, it’s cost us.”

Lowe went on to say that these things will happen with a “lack of thoughtfulness, lack of game intelligence, lack of switching on” and when fatigue is a factor.

“I actually want experienced players in the side that last 89 minutes and get us a result,” he said.

When asked about his plans for the remaining four games in terms of giving more young players some game time, Lowe said that everybody had already been given a chance during his tenure.

“Am I going to change Rostyn Griffiths out for another player? No, I’m not going to change Rostyn Griffiths out for a younger player,” he said emphatically.

“He’s the most expensive Australian player ever transferred out of this country, he’s 25 years old.

“Am I going to change William Gallas out? No, I’m not going to change William Gallas out.”

One of the players that fans wanted to see more of this season is Danny De Silva, and the promising 17-year-old was included as a substitute for the game.

However, in a manner that many will say is typical of Glory’s season, De Silva was ruled out with concussion after being hit in the face with a football during the warm up.

Once the game got going, the hosts played well in patches and were probably good value for the lead which arrived when Michael Thwaite’s header from a corner found the back of the net via a wicked deflection off Mark Milligan in the 26th minute.

Victory were level before half time though as Milligan slotted home from the penalty spot after Matthew Davies was adjudged to have fouled James Troisi in the area.

“I think he [Troisi] had Speedos on underneath his shorts but yeah, I think he went down rather well,” said Kenny Lowe of the incident, before stressing that the ball should have been cleared long before the referee was given the chance to make a decision.

In the second half, Glory showed signs of putting a winning performance together and should have gone for the jugular by pairing Lithuanian Darvydas Sernas with Jamie Maclaren to really test the Victory defence.

Maclaren was supposed to have been supported by Nebojsa Marinkovic in attack but far too often the gap between the two was at least 30 yards, leaving Maclaren far too isolated.

The problem persisted when Maclaren made way for Sernas and the opportunity to end a nine-game winless streak went as Thompson pounced late on.

A lot of talk this season has been about divisions in the ranks, and Lowe added a little bit of fuel to the fire when asked about the mood in the dressing room afterwards.

“[A] bit of frustration from the older players because of lack of intelligence at times; lack of game savvy, but that comes after you’ve had 50 or 60 games, not five or six,” he said.

The focus turned to his own future, but Lowe wasn’t giving away much and repeated his previous answer that it’s out of his hands.

“I know while I’ve been here I’ve enjoyed myself and I think I’ve coped admirably with the issues that we’ve had at the club,” he said.

“Can I coach? Yes I can coach, no problems there, but it’s down to others to make the choices and the way forward.”

A hat tip is due in the direction of William Gallas who again performed very well as he tried to drive Glory forward at every opportunity, and he looked to have been given a licence to join the attack whenever possible.

While the Frenchman has probably not proven to be value for money relative to the amount of games he has played, there is no doubting his quality when fit and his ability probably won’t be truly appreciated until he leaves.

A win for Melbourne Heart of Wellington Phoenix today will see Glory cast five points adrift at the bottom of the table as they remain on course for their first ever wooden spoon.

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Perth Glory: 18. Jack DUNCAN, 2. Jack CLISBY, 5. Rostyn GRIFFITHS, 7. Jacob BURNS, 8. Nebojsa MARINKOVIC, 10. Jamie MACLAREN, 16. Sidnei SCIOLA MORAES, 17. Chris HAROLD, 23. Michael THWAITE, 24. Matthew DAVIES, 36. William GALLAS.

Subs: 3. Brandon O’NEILL, 14. Steven MCGARRY, 20. Daniel DE SILVA, 28. Darvydas SERNAS, 36. Luke RADONICH.


Melbourne Victory: 20. Lawrence THOMAS, 2. Pablo CONTRERAS, 3. Adama TRAORE, 4. Nicholas ANSELL, 5. Mark MILLIGAN, 6. Leigh BROXHAM, 7. Guilherme FINKLER, 10. Archie THOMPSON, 14. James TROISI, 21. Tomas ROGIC, 24. Scott GALLOWAY.

Subs: 1. Nathan COE, 9. Kostas BARBAROUSES, 16. Rashid MAHAZI, 22. Jesse MAKAROUNAS, 26. Jordan BROWN.