PERTH Glory will come to the Border looking for three points tomorrow, says star player Steven McGarry.
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The veteran of the Scottish Premier League and the club’s best player last season says the fight for a finals spot demands they start winning on the road.
The Glory sit equal sixth but only four points separate teams between fourth and ninth.
Their clash with a resurgent Melbourne Heart tomorrow is the start of a horror stretch for last year’s finalists that includes more than half of its last 10 games on the road.
McGarry also expects a far different contest to the 3-0 hiding they handed out to the red and whites a month ago.
“I wouldn’t call it a dogfight just yet — but there are a lot of teams that are tight from about fourth to ninth,” he said.
“And we have a lot of tough games coming up including a number of away games — six of the last 10 are away.
“But if we are going to play finals football we are going to have to start picking up points, winning on the road.”
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McGarry said Melbourne Heart’s new found confidence would make tomorrow’s game a tough encounter.
“I don’t think the 3-0 scoreline reflected the way they were playing at the time — they weren’t playing that bad, it was more a matter of not having any luck in front of goal,” he said.
“Teams at this level don’t become bad players overnight and now they have had a change of personnel, got some results, they will have rediscovered that confidence.”
But McGarry said Glory’s focus would be on their own preparation.
“We are going to concentrate on Perth Glory,” he said.
“We won’t think too much about Melbourne Heart other than doing some video analysis on some of their more dangerous players.
“In the last few games we have played well in patches, generally one half well, the other half poor.
“We need to concentrate on putting together a 90-minute game
“But there is no way we will be playing a tight game, looking for a draw, we want the three points, we won’t be holding back.”
McGarry also expects recruit Darvydas Sernas to be prominant.
The Lithuanian’s stunning strike from outside the box helped Glory draw with Melbourne Victory last weekend in his first game at the club.
“It was a fantastic finish and that puts him in contention for sure,” he said.
“But he did very well not just with the goal but in general play — he looked dangerous, strong and has a great first touch.
“The manager has changed about the side in training in the past couple of days and Sernas has been a part of it.”
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