A-League Men: Perth Glory coach David Zdrilic not over-focusing on Brisbane Roar clash to avoid wooden spoon

Perth Glory coach David Zdrilic says they are not focusing on their bottom of the table clash with Brisbane Roar being potentially decisive in their quest to avoid back-to-back wooden spoons. Brisbane are one of two sides Perth have beaten this season, and are the only club keeping them off the foot of the table despite the Glory’s paltry tally of 11 points from 20 games this A-League Men’s season. Glory are currently nursing a three-point lead over last-placed Brisbane ahead of Saturday night’s meeting at HBF Park, but the Roar have two games in hand. After winning last season’s wooden spoon, defeat to the Roar and their former Glory coach Ruben Zadkovich would significantly increase Perth’s chances of finishing last for the second season running. A higher finish on the ladder also would give Perth a better chance of qualifying for the main draw of the Australia Cup, with the play-off expected to now occur at the end of this season rather than next pre-season. Zdrilic said he had not overemphasised the importance of beating Brisbane and his side had approached the Roar clash like they would any other game. “We don’t talk about that at all. Every game we want to go to win. We approach this as the same as when we played them over there,” he said. “There was no discussion about it, any sort of extra emphasis on the game. They’re in a similar position to us, they’ve been playing much better than the results have suggested.” When asked how important is was for the club to avoid another wooden spoon, Zdrilic said it was vital they turned performances into results to finish a disappointing season on a high note. “It’s important for our club to keep progressing and that means the work we’ve done in the January window, the work that we’re continuing to in the background, and obviously the focus is results,” he said. “The importance for us is to win as many games as we can in the final six, prepare for a cup match and make sure we continue to show we are performing better and we’re changing the squad, we’re changing the club, and the performances are there. “But with the performances, we want results.” Tass Mourdoukoutas could return from a groin strain against Brisbane, while Jaylan Pearman, Zach Lisolajski and Adam Bugarija are in line to return after helping Australia lift the AFC under-20 Asian Cup. Josh Risdon will miss through suspension, while Andriano Lebib has progressed in his return from a knee clean-up surgery, but Zdrilic said they would not risk the talented young defender until he was fully fit.