ANNIVERSARY TIME...It is 20 years since Perth Glory made football history by winning the National Soccer League Minor Premiership for the first time in the 1999-2000 season - after only four years in existence.
They also made their first Grand Final appearance, drawing a then NSL record crowd of 43,242 to Subiaco Oval on June 11, 2000. Unfortunately it ended in disappointment as the Glory, 3-0 ahead at half-time, threw away their lead to draw 3-3 and then lose a dramatic penalty shoot-out 7-6 to Wollongong Wolves.
But the club still had the consolation of being the best in the home-and-away league season (a system which determines champions for every other country in the world), finishing with 64 points from 34 games, winning 19, drawing seven and losing eight. They scored 60 goals and conceded 42. Wolves were runners-up, four points behind.
Glory tied up the Premiers Plate on May 7 at Perth Oval when a powerful header from Jamie Harnwell gave them a 1-0 victory over Northern Spirit in their final league game. The previous week Harnwell (on his 50th NSL appearance) had again been the hero when he got the only goal in the 1-0 away win over the Wolves to put the Glory in the box seat for the title going into the last set of league fixtures.
Coach Bernd Stange (in his second year in charge) said of the Premiership victory: "It was the result of good team work over the last four years. I have never forgotten what my predecessor, Gary Marocchi, achieved before me."
Stange was named the NSL Coach of the Year, while young gun Ivan Ergic, in his first season with the club, was voted the NSL Under-21 Player of the Year.
The team that clinched the Premiership by beating Northern Spirit: Petkovic; Trajkovski, Valle, Milicevic, Harnwell,  Miller, Naven, Edgar, Wehrman, Despotovski, Aurelio. Subs: Buljan for Despotovski (70),  Afkos for Trajkovski (89).
The Grand Final team: Petkovic, Trajkovski, Harnwell, Milicevic, Edgar, Miller, Ergic, Halpin, Wehrman, Despotovski,  Edwards. Subs: Afkos for Miller (62), Aurelio for Despotovski (68), Naven for Ergic (84).
The squad for the entire 1999-2000 season was: Danny Milosevic, Rob Trajkovski, Jamie Harnwell, Aurelio Schwertz, Vinko Buljubasic, Gareth Naven, Scott Miller, Troy Halpin, Alistair Edwards, Bobby Despotovski, Kasey Wehrman, Peter Buljan, James Afkos, Dion Valle, Edgar Aldrighi Jr, Con Boutsianis, Vas Kalogeracos, Hamilton Thorp, John Carbone, Tony Franken, Ivan Ergic, Ljubo Milicevic, Jason Petkovic, Gary Faria. Coach: Bernd Stange. Assistant Coach: Mich d'Avray.
Glory's top scorers for the home-and-away season were: 13 Boutsianis, Edwards; 9 Ergic; 7 Despotovski; 3 Harnwell, Trajkovski, Aurelio.
Boutsianis left the club in mid-March, 2000, to join English side Bolton (on loan) following a long-running disagreement with the Glory.
*FOOTNOTE: Seven of the 1999-2000 squad have been inducted into the Football Hall of Fame WA - Harnwell, Naven, Miller, Edwards, Despotovski, Franken, Petkovic.
**COMING SOON...A dip into WA's football history with a four-part series on how Perth Glory was formed; the record-setting fan response that changed the face of the Australian national competition; the many highs (and several lows) of the club; and the emergence of many iconic players.