A long journey for the Wanderers begins with a midweek clash on the other side of the country against Perth Glory.
The men in Red and Black will come into this one well rested after a 10 day break between their last game in Melbourne.
It’s never easy travelling to AAMI Park to face the Melbourne Victory, but a depleted Wanderers team put in a valiant effort to get a point on the road.
They fell behind early but seized upon a mistake from the Victory to level the scores late in the first half, with Aydan Hammond scoring his second of the season and his second straight goal against the Victory.
The Wanderers stood firm and took the lead in the 76th minute with a fantastic strike from Nicolas Milanovic, with the goal being his sixth of the league campaign and having the Wanderers dreaming of a third straight win at AAMI Park against the Victory.
It wasn’t to be, as the unfortunate concession of a penalty allowed Ryan Teague to level the scores and the match ended in a draw.
Whilst it was frustrating for the Wanderers not to get all three points, they can take great pride in their performance in tough circumstances, coming only days after their previous match and with a re-jigged and rotated team.
They will be boosted by the return of Dean Pelekanos from suspension, whilst Aidan Simmons continues his comeback from injury.
With other teams taking advantage of the Wanderers’ bye to get some points on the board, it makes their two games this week hugely critical to their chances of qualifying for the finals after missing out in the 2023-24 season.
On paper, the match against Perth is a winnable one, with the Glory having a tough season and sitting second from bottom on the table.
However, David Zdrillic’s side come into the game in a confident mood having won their first home match of the season against high flying Auckland.
It was a tight encounter, with the game only being decided by a Jaylan Pearman strike in the first half.
It will have boosted the mentality of a young Perth side with the worst attack and defensive records in the competition, having shipped 33 goals whilst only scoring eight in reply.
It is a team that also has a few former Wanderers, with academy products Nathaneal Blair and Adam Bugarija getting gametime in Western Australia, whilst Tomi Mrcela joined as a
mid-season signing.
There will be no room for sentiment for a Wanderers side beginning to find their feet under Alen Stajcic, who was coach at Perth last season.
The Wanderers also ended a poor run in Perth last season, winning 2-1 in the same fixture, their first league win in the state since 2014.
They won two matches over Perth last season, winning the first match between the sides 2-0, whilst Perth won the other game 2-1 in a tight contest.
The Wanderers have at least one game in hand on many of the teams around them in the table, so a win in Perth would lift them back into the top six ahead of their home clash with the Mariners on Friday night.
They will look towards their free flowing attack to hit top gear, as Brandon Borrello has five goals and five assists, whilst Zac Sapsford has three goals for the season as he has cemented his place in the starting side.
The Wanderers will be hoping this will be the week their season transforms, and will hope to look back on this match against the Glory with fondness at the end of the season.
