Glory captain Sam Kerr tussles with Alex Natoli (Photo: Emily Mogic Photography)

Perth Glory made their long trip to Melbourne worthwhile, claiming three points against Melbourne Victory on Saturday at Broadmeadows Valley Park courtesy of a 2-1 win.

Goals from Caitlin Foord and Sam Kerr on either side of the break cancelled out Laura Spiranovic's opening goal for Victory.

Pre game expectations were high that Foord and Kerr would be influential for Glory, almost identical to the expectations for Christine Nairn and Hayley Raso for Victory.

Beyond that, with plenty of upheaval at both clubs before the season, this match was a hard one to predict.

What was overwhelmingly evident was that both teams delivered an entertaining encounter.

Melbourne Victory - Key Points and Players

For Victory, there was plenty to be positive about. A sentiment that was acknowledged by Raso who commented post game “We turned up and we played some good football”.

Victory coach Dave Edmondson was also pleased with how the match was played, “There’s probably even more positives than even I hoped for to be honest” he said.

The return of Thea Slatyer, Selin Kuralay and Spiranovic were all significant in the match.

Slatyer, being Victory’s most experienced defender, dominated in the early stages of the match and was crucial in shutting down a number of attacking efforts from Perth.

A recurring cramping calf ended Slatyer’s W-League return in the 70th minute and potentially contributed to Perth’s second goal, with Slatyer unable to effectively track back to stop Foord and Kerr marauding through.

Kuralay was prominent in the midfield, displaying divine skills and composure on the ball, more than once eliciting sounds of awe from the crowd with her artistry.

Devastatingly, an inconsolable Kuralay was stretchered off the pitch with a seemingly serious knee injury in the latter stages of the second half.

The return of Spiranovic as Victory’s spearhead attacker immediately heralded results as she treated fans to her displays of strength over the ball and explosive pace. Her intensity and work rate were fundamental to Victory’s attacking forays.

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Victory’s match was a team effort. With a number of debutantes and inexperienced players stepping up and playing surprisingly well at W-League level. Alex Natoli, Annabel Martin and Briar Palmer all played healthy encouraging games.

In what was largely a positive outing for Victory, their season is likely to get better rather than worse, at least in terms of the development of their younger players.

Victory also have some early injury concerns, with Gulcan Koca yet to overcome an ankle injury sustained prior to the W-League, and now Kuralay and potentially Slatyer are in doubt.

Perth Glory - Key Points and Players

As is often the curse of the W-League, Perth didn’t have a lot of time to prepare as a team and to some extent it showed in a number of missed opportunities and lacklustre performances, with Kerr and Foord stepping up to do most of the damage.

Perth captain Sam Kerr was understandably happy with the result but was mindful of their performance, the frustration evident during the match.

“It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t our best football but we’ll take the win”, she said. “We’ve only been together as a team for a week”.

“I felt like I was in my first gear, she [Foord] looked like she was in fourth all game. She was man of the match for me”.

One key area that Glory were able to exploit Victory was pace, with Foord easily able to cut through and create more than one opportunity and both goals.

The Glory will have to reflect on how to bring more of their players into the game or face the challenges of relying too heavily on the Foord/Kerr combo. Anytime they were quiet, Perth looked largely ineffectual and Victory were able to monopolize possession.

The Glory will also need to work on their finishing. Too many shots off target and dispossessed too frequently made the job much harder than it should have been.

Even Kerr was jovial about that missed penalty. When asked about her goals for the year, “I had no targets, but now - score a penalty” she said.

Next up for Melbourne Victory is the big inaugural derby clash against Melbourne City at AAMI Park whilst Perth Glory return home to Ashfield Reserve to take on the Newcastle Jets.

Melbourne Victory 1 (Laura Spiranovic 8’)

Perth Glory 2 (Caitlin Foord 45’, Sam Kerr 69’)

Saturday 17 October 2015

Broadmeadows Valley Park, Melbourne

Kick-off: 3pm

Referee: Katie Patterson

Melbourne Victory: Melissa Barbieri (gk) Alexandria Natoli, Briar Palmer, Annabel Martin, Enza Barilla, Jamie Pollock, Laura Spiranovic (Melindaj Barbieri 93), Christine Nairn, Thea Slatyer (Jessica Pitts 70’), Selin Kuralay (Adriana Taranto 78’), Hayley Raso

Substitutes – Cassandra Dimovski (gk)

Cautions – none

Perth Glory: Mackenzie Arnold (gk), Sarah Carroll, Kim Carroll, Katie Holtham, Shannon May, Caitlin Foord, Kathryn Schubert, Danielle Brogan, Caitlin Doeglas (Caitlin Bennett 46’), Ella Mastrantonio (Shawn Billam 66’), Sam Kerr

Substitutes – Gabrielle Dal Busco (gk), Thia Eastman

Cautions – Shawn Billam 85’