Perth Glory triumphed over Sydney FC to win their second game of the season. However it was still not good enough to move them off the bottom of the ladder.
Glory won the game 2 - 1 but was in danger of drawing in the remaining five minutes of the game when Sydney upped- the-ante producing some great attacks that unfortunately did not pay off for the Sydney team.
Perth Glory coach David Mitchell said it was their best effort of the year.
"I think there was a lot of pressure on myself and the players, the club, the fans, the owners and I think we've all pulled well this week together. Training had been fantastic."
Jamie Harnwell scored Glory's first goal five minutes into the match after being set up by Nikita Rukavytsya. This was almost a repeat of the prior minute when Rukavytsya and Harnwell teamed up to just miss the goal from the 18 yard box.
Naum Sekulovski was frustrating with the ball in the first 10 minutes of the match until Mitchell took him aside to give him a few words of advice. Those words appeared to pay off as Sekulovski intercepted the ball in defence to send it into Glory's attacking zone. Sekulovski then attempted to score but sent the ball wide of the box.
In the 11th minute Sydney replied with Brendon Santalab scoring a goal from an acute angle. It was an unfortunate mistake for Glory goal keeper Tando Velaphi as the ball crept under his body to reach the back of the net. Velaphi performed well in the heat and blocked a number of set shot attacks by Sydney.
Sydney Coach John Kosmina was happy with Santalab's performance up front, but said there were times when he needed to take "more defensive responsibility". Kosmina agreed that Santalab's lack of defence is what separates him from being a regular starter on the side.
Glory put on two strong attacks at goal in the 16th and 18th minute, both times the ball was passes onto Rukavytsya who managed to find space but was penalised for offside. The 18th minute penalty riled up the crowd who were not happy with the referee's decision to call offside.
Hayden Foxe played his first game this season for Glory and was integral in defending the crucial shots on goal. In the 34th minute what looked like a successful shot at goal by Sydney soon turned sour as Foxe managed to get a run on boot to the ball and sent it for a corner kick.
Mitchell said that having Eugene Dadi taken out of the squad because of a groin strain in the warm up, and Foxe in defence, it was time Harnwell moved up forward and continue with what was last year's successful goal-scoring partnership with Rukavytsya.
"Last year him (Harnwell) and Nikita did really well together they struck up a great partnership and he's been the top club's scorer in a couple of years in a row."
In the 36th minute it looked as though Glory would enter the second half of the match with a 2 - 1 lead, but a missed opportunity by Rukavytsya sent the crowd into disbelief. After receiving a pass from Jamie Coyne, Rukavytsya took the ball and broke away from the pack to only face Sydney goal keeper Ivan Necevski. Rukavytsya drew Necevski out of the goal area to shoot at the net, only to swing the ball to the left and just miss the goal.
The first half looked as though Sydney were struggling with attacking. However, after the game Kosmina said he had no problems with attacking, but more so defending. Kosmina said they were not used to playing an open game like today and had changed playing tactics.
"We normally play a bit tighter and we tried to play two up front today. We haven't really practiced it a lot, but it's about being a bit more effective in the box.
"Space comes down to work and if people aren't prepared to work, then you're going to get space between people," he said.
It took Harnwell less than two minutes to score Glory's second goal. Pellegrino sent the ball high to Harnwell who managed to header the ball into the back of the net.
Harnwell said it was great to be put up front but it was "probably the most nervous I've been before a game because I knew there was a lot riding on me going back up front".
In the 64th minute Sanatlab sent the ball to Stuart Musialik to take shot from outside the 18 yard box to just miss to the left. Rukavytsya was again penalised for offside in the 65th minute after Pellegrino tried to hold up the ball waiting for options up forward.
In the 67th minute Glory coach David Mitchell made an unusual decision to substitute Rukavytsya for Trinidad. Trinidad and Pellegrino picked up the pace attacking the goal net. From a Glory throw-in, Trinidad showed off his skills while taking on two Sydney players, but could not convert a goal.
There were five minutes of stoppage time and in the 90th minute Sydney were awarded a free kick. Trinidad was standing on the ball - a tactic Kosmina believes was time wasting - when Sydney's Iain Fyfe hit Trinidad on the back of the head. Trinidad went down and the crowd erupted, booing Fyfe. Referee Peter O'Lear gave Fyfe a red card and was sent off the field. Trinidad got up off the ground with not only a sore head but also a limp.
"He milked it." Kosmina said. "Fyfey didn't hit him."