Report by Peter Simcox

Photo by FotoEnzo

Perth Glory moved to the top of the NPL WA table after an exciting 5-3 win against ECU Joondalup at the ECU Football Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
 
The league's top scorers made a perfect start with Michael Domfeh putting them ahead in the first minute, before an own goal from Luca Bodnar levelled for the home side.
 
Yacoub Mustafa regained the lead for the visitors after the break and then ECU were reduced to 10 men with defender Cian Hirrell shown a second yellow card.
 
But in a dramatic final seven minutes there were five more goals, Michael McDougall bagged a brace with Bayley Brown-Montgomery adding the other for the Glory, with Daryl Nicol and Ethan Brooks scoring for ECU, to end a thriller.
 
Glory coach John Gibson was pleased overall although disappointed in the way they conceded the three goals.
 
“Pleased with the performance, especially with 10 players from our roster missing, and delighted for 17-year-old Zayd Farah who made his debut for us today,” Gibson said.
 
“But we’re not getting carried away, we conceded three really soft goals today and we lost focus, which isn’t like us. But it’s fantastic to come here and get a result.
 
“We are not focused on our league positions, we still have eight rounds to go, but today as a collective we did really well, and we’re looking forward to the rest of the season and improving our game in certain areas.”
 
ECU head coach Dale McCulloch was unhappy with the sending off and said it changed the game.
 
“Two players going for the ball, in my day that was a tackle,” he said.
 
“But that’s not why we lost the game, when you defend like we did today at set-pieces you don’t win games, we need to be better than that.”
 
Glory went into this game looking for their first ever victory against ECU in the NPL and in the first minute they were ahead. McDougall threaded a neat ball into Domfeh, and the striker finished well past Johnny Perkins.
 
But 10 minutes later the home side were level in comical circumstances. There looked little danger when Bodnar passed back to keeper Jackson Lee, who slipped and the ball rolled past him into an empty net.
 
The visitors thought they had regained the lead seven minutes later when McDougall lost his marker and shot from long-range, but Perkins produced a great save at full stretch to deny him.
 
It was end-to-end football with both sides looking threatening, but the best chance fell to Glory three minutes before the break.
 
Chok Dau's ball into the penalty area wasn’t dealt with and the ball fell kindly to Domfeh, who was in on goal, but Perkins stood tall to deny the striker.
 
The home side began the second half well and Hirrell’s low cross was only inches away from Nicol at the back post, before Tommy Amphlett's volley was well saved by Lee.
 
But on 70 minutes Glory restored their lead. A short corner caught ECU napping and the ball into the box picked out the unmarked Mustafa, whose looping header beat Perkins.
 
Things went from bad to worse for ECU seven minutes later when Hirrell was shown a second yellow card by referee Adam Fielding and was sent off, much to the displeasure of the home supporters.
 
Still the 10 men pressed and Nicol raced down the left moments later, his cross from the byline was cleared by Daniel Walsh with Gordon Smith ready to pounce.
 
But three minutes from time the Glory added a third. Henry Hore’s free-kick found the unmarked McDougall to score.
 
Second half substitute Brown-Montgomery made it 4-1 60 seconds later, and Nicol pulled one back for ECU in the next minute.
 
We still weren’t done with, McDougall added his second to make it 5-2 in the third minute of stoppage time before ECU substitute Brooks scored a minute later to make it 5-3.
 
Smith went close in the final minute to adding another for the home side but he fired wide, to end an entertaining encounter at the Campus.  
 
ECU Joondalup 3 (Bodnar og 11min, Nicol 89, Brooks 90+4)
Perth Glory 5 (Domfeh 1, Mustafa 70, McDougall 87, 90+3, Brown-Montgomery 88)
Saturday, June 23
Ashfield Reserve
Kick-off: 3pm
Referee: Adam Fielding
Assistant referees: Arvin Shanmuganathan, Gabriele Merlacco

ECU Joondalup: GK Johnny PERKINS, 2 Cian HIRRELL, 3 Kieron STALLARD, 4 Steven MCGARRY, 5 Shane CASSIDY, 7 Cameron MURRAY (15 Adam TONG 75), 8 Brad MCDONALD (17 Liam MURRAY 87), 9 Daryl NICOL, 10 Gordon SMITH, 11 Andy HIGGINS,13 Tommy AMPHLETT (16 Ethan BROOKS 73)
Substitutes not used: RGK Jack NUNN, 12 Ryan McDARBY
Yellow cards: Amphlett 19, Hirrell 55, 77, Cassidy 56
Red cards: Hirrell 77

Perth Glory: GK Jackson LEE, 2 Luca BODNAR, 3 Walter SCOTT, 4 Daniel WALSH, 5 Harry QUIGLEY, 6 Zayd FARAH, 7 Chok DAU (13 Ollie ANNIS 91), 8 Henry HORE, 9 Michael DOMFEH (12 Bayley BROWN-MONTGOMERY 76), 10 Michael McDOUGALL (15 Aidan EDWARDS 94), 11 Yacoub MUSTAFA
Substitutes not used: RGK Nicholas SPECA, 14 Nic McDONALD
Yellow cards: Scott 39, Dau 60
Red cards: Nil