Glory Youth miss out on top spot

Perth Glory Youth missed out on the National Youth League minor premiership after losing 2-3 against Newcastle Jets in Saturday evening’s final league game of the season at The Clipsal Stadium in Inglewood.

The Jets, who beat the league leaders Central Coast Mariners last time out, over ran the Glory in the first half and led 3-0 at the break with goals from  Jarrad Ross,  Fabian Iacovelli, and an own goal from Glory midfielder Howard Fondyke. A second-half brace from Tommy Amphlett wasn’t enough for Gareth Naven’s side and they had to settle for second spot on the table.

With Central Coast drawing 0-0 with Sydney earlier in the afternoon, the Glory knew a win against the Jets would see them finish the regular season on top of the table, but with the finals birth already secured Naven rested a number of players who were carrying slight injuries.

Skipper Steven Hesketh, Dean Evans and Glen Trifiro were all missing for the game, while Naven decided not to bring any of the senior players into the squad.

Newcastle threatened as early as the fourth minute as Damian Brosque, the brother of Sydney FC’s Alex, swung in a dangerous free kick that curled narrowly wide of the post.

The Glory then had the visitors on the back foot, although the final ball was lacking in the final third and the Jet’s back four were on their toes and defending stoutly.

In fact it was the visitors who opened the scoring against the run of play on 17 minutes, Iacovelli’s cross picked out Ross in the penalty area and the striker fired home past Alex Pearson.

It got worse for the Glory two minutes later, when a mis-placed pass from Josh Risdon allowed Iacovelli to run onto the ball and fire home the second.

This wasn’t in the script and just after the half hour a stunning move by the Glory almost pulled a goal back. Hayden Doyle, who was deputising at centre-back for Hesketh, delivered a long ball to Amphlett on the left, the former ECU Joondalup striker evading the defence and crossed for Anthony Skorich who headed wide when well placed.

That miss came back to haunt the Glory when the Jets made it 3-0 on the stroke of half time. Fondyke’s attempted clearance looped up over goalkeeper Alex Pearson and into his own net a minute before the break.

After the break it was the Jets again who had the best opening on 67 minutes, Alex Pearson did well to get down low and smother the ball in front of the onrushing Ross, the Jets striker only making the starting XI after William Angel was injured warming up. The save from the Glory custodian proved to be a turning point and sixty seconds later the Glory reduced the deficit, Amphlett firing home from long-range.

It was game on and the home side began to dominate and seven minutes later they added another. Sebit Oyet, who had replaced Stephen Walmsley on the hour, crossed to former Western Knights striker Mario Marcinko, who teed the ball up for Amphlett to slam home his second from the edge of the box.

The Glory was dominating by this stage, but they couldn’t turn their possession into a third goal, the best falling to Marcinko, who headed over from a good position seven minutes from time.

Then two minutes later, on a quick counter attack, Newcastle came close to adding a fourth, Alex Pearson saving well from Jesse Pinto’s goalbound strike.

With time running out the Glory almost snatched a point deep into injury time, Amphlett getting on the end of a Ludovic Boi corner, only to have Jets goalkeeper Robbie Kolak save bravely at the striker’s feet.

National Youth League 2009/10 – Round 27

Perth Glory 2 (AMPHLETT 68, 75)

Newcastle Jets 3 (ROSS 17′, IACOVELLI 19′, FONDYKE 44OG’)

Saturday 6 March, 2010 at Clipsal Stadium, Perth

Crowd: 150

Referee: Steven Gregory

Assistant Referees: Tim Mihevic, Trent Fleskins - Fourth official: Josh Mihevic

Perth Glory Youth: GK Alex Pearson, 2 Ryan Pearson, 4 Sam Mitchinson, 5 Joshua Risdon, 6 Howard Fondyke, 7 Hanafi Ghazali (12 Reece Vittiglia 46′), 10 Tommy Amphlett, 11 Ludovic Boi, 13 Stephen Walmsley, (8 Sebit  Ovet 57′), 15 Anthony Skorich, (9 Mario Marcinko 57′), 21 Hayden Doyle - Substitutes not used: RGK Timothy Doyle

Yellow cards: Skorich, Fondyke - Red cards: Nil

Newcastle Jets Youth: GK Robbie Kolak, 7 Dylan Murphy, 5 Scott Balderson, 4 Damian Brosque (9 Adrian Karakolevski 50′), 2 Jon Griffiths, 14 Mario Simic (11 James Virgili 57′), 13 Fabian Iacovelli, 10 Jesse PINTO, 6 Taylor Regan, 12 Jarrad Ross, 3 Matt Sim, 8. Brodie Mooy, 20 James Fogarty- Substitutes not used: Will ANGEL, James FOGARTY

Yellow cards: Balderson, Mooy, Ross - Red cards: Nil