Liam Reddy hit a milestone of 400 appearances in the national league on Wednesday night, meaning he played his first game before some of the players in the current Perth Glory squad were even born.
It was another game of debuts as 18 and 19-year-old, Chris Donnell and Jayden Gorman made their way onto the field as A-League Men players.
But head coach Ruben Zadkovich said the debuts may not stop there. After suspected injuries to a further two players, more from the NPL academy might find their way on a last-minute flight with the squad as availability runs at an all-time low.
As the results continue to go against Perth, Zadkovich is aware the challenge he has taken on might be a ‘mission impossible’ but the spirits among the players restores his faith.
Prior to the game against Wellington Phoenix, Glory suffered a huge loss to Newcastle Jets.
“They’re such a young group, there wasn’t enough people to carry them through that match when things got tough,” Zadkovich told the media in a post-match press conference.
Upon reflection, Zadkovich is proud that his youthful side held Wellington the way they did.
More responsibility has fallen to the senior players left standing, the likes of Reddy and Darryl Lachman may be required to put on a brave face and push their squad further on the field.
Despite the performances not being up to Zadkovich’s standard, he says the mentality as a whole is exceptional.
“They’re players that are doing their best in trying circumstances and certainly doesn’t fall short on the effort and the mentality that they’re dishing up,” he said.
As players endure loss after loss, the challenge can become just as mentally straining as it as is physically and while fans may be in emotional turmoil over the misfortune in Perth, this side’s ability to go again; to show up and learn lessons the hard way, is all they can do as Glory fumble towards the finish line.
Zadkovich has placed great emphasis on player welfare and is working with the resources available to allow injured players adequate time to recover properly.
“My mentality is really resolute, really invested. We’re not going to take a backwards step.
We’ll face these challenges head on and that’s all I’m going to do until the season finishes,” he said.
While they have nothing to lose, Zadkovich says there is a lot to gain and the positive mindset despite setbacks is one of them.
Feature Image credit: Vision Inspired Photography
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