Perth Glory remain well and truly in the race for finals football this season after beating Western Sydney Wanderers 1-0 thanks to a 91st minute winner from Izzy Foletta.
In a game that was short on clear-cut chances, Perth eventually made the breakthrough in stoppage time as substitute Foletta slammed home what would prove to be the winner in the first minute of five added on.
The win for Perth could well prove to be a crucial one in their quest to secure a finals berth as they now sit 9th on the ladder but just three points behind the top six with three games left to play.
As for the Wanderers, Geoff Abrahams’ side remain dead-last on the Ninja A-League ladder and now four points adrift of rivals Sydney FC – whom they play in a Sydney Derby next weekend.
Furthermore, the Wanderers remain the only side in the competition this season who are yet to keep a clean sheet.
The side asking the majority of the questions in the first-half, Perth duo Sarah O’Donoghue and Isobel Dalton did their best to try and break the deadlock in the 32nd minute but both players were denied by Wanderers keeper Sham Khamis.
Glory Defender Naomi Chinnama then headed wide from the resulting corner with the goal gaping before the Wanderers forced Perth into a nervy moment at the other end.
Played in behind the Perth defence, Bronte Trew sprinted on to the pass but having toed the ball around the advancing Casey Dumont she couldn’t fashion an opportunity from a tight angle and the moment passed.
Perth started the second-half in similar fashion to that of the first and set about finding the opener; forward Kelli Brown stinging the palms of Wanderers keeper Khamis from distance.
Both coaches went to their benches in the second-half in search of a spark with Wanderers head coach Geoff Abrahams throwing Sophie Harding into the fray for the first time since January 31 having fully recovered from a hip injury.
However it was another substitute who made the telling difference in stoppage time as Foletta came up with the match-winner in dramatic fashion.
Stationed on the edge of the Wanderers box at a corner, Foletta capitalised on some pinball inside the area as she pounced on the loose ball and pummelled a low strike beyond the dive of Khamis and into the back of the net to send the home fans wild with joy.
Denying the Wanderers a point and what would have been their first clean sheet of the season, Perth moved up into ninth on the ladder and now sit just three points outside the top six.
