KEY POINTS:
For the second time in a little over a month Ricki Herbert and his Wellington Phoenix players are in Perth - this time on a testing 10-day road trip which ends in a second game in five days against Sydney FC on Friday.
It is, Herbert admits, a
tough ask but one he sees as the opportunity to make a move in the Hyundai A-League after Phoenix's unbeaten run stalled at home last Sunday in going down 1-0 to Queensland Roar.
"Our form is reasonable when compared with other teams," he said. "Until that loss we had probably picked up as many, or more, points than any other team in three games.
"In some ways it is good to get a trip like this out of the way now rather than later in the season. Last year we went to Adelaide and then on to Perth so it is not much different."
It is a classic bottom-of-the-table clash, with both teams coming off one-goal losses.
Perth were cruelly denied a point on their trip to Adelaide when referee Strebre Delovski ruled against a tackle made by Perth captain Jamie Coyne on United's Lucas Pantelis and pointed to the spot.
Replays quickly showed that not only had Coyne made the challenge a metre or so outside the penalty area, he won the ball cleanly. Substitute Travis Dodd completed the agony by converting.
Later, Perth coach Dave Mitchell, choosing his words carefully, called on Football Federation Australia to lead the way in allowing the use of video replays in such instances.
Herbert is not so sure.
"I think the FFA would need a lot of convincing before allowing the use of a television match official. There are critical times when critical decisions are made but I feel a lot more will have to be done before anything changes."
Herbert is more concerned about turning things around in the Phoenix camp. "We could have won [last Sunday] comfortably. We just have to convert the chances we are creating."
Leo Bertos, who missed the best of those, is likely to come into the starting line-up in place of Adam Kwasnik, who has stayed in Wellington and been given the chance to "freshen up".
With Shane Smeltz's recent goal drought Herbert is unconcerned.
"He is not too frustrated ... I still feel he will get a dozen before the season is over but it is up to the others to help out."
Starting now.
Perth Glory v Wellington Phoenix
* Members Equity Stadium
* Tomorrow 9pm (live SS2)
* Referee: Chris Beath.
Perth Glory (from): Tando Velaphi, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Jamie Coyne (c), Jamie Harnwell, Dino Djulbic, Nick Rizzo, Adrian Trinidad, Amaral, Scott Bulloch, Nikita Rukavytsya, Eugene Dadi, Adriano Pellegrino, James Downey, Hayden Foxe, Naum Sekulovski, Frank Juric, Wayne Srhoj.
Wellington Phoenix (likely): Mark Paston, Tony Lochhead, Karl Dodd, Andrew Durante (c), Ben Sigmund, Leilei Gao, Tim Brown, Jon McKain, Leo Bertos, Vaughan Coveny, Shane Smeltz. Substitutes, Glen Moss, Michael Ferrante, Daniel, Costa Barbarouses.