Michael Garcia is delighted with the way his players have transformed their season. The early stages of the new campaign were something of a struggle for Inglewood United, with just three draws picked up from five games slipping the side into the lower depths of the National Premier Leagues standings.

It’s a record that contrasts sharply with that of the last five weeks, in which Inglewood have been one of the leagues’ form sides. Four wins from five games have jumped Garcia’s team to sixth on the ladder – just three points behind fourth – and reassured everyone at the club that they are heading down the right path.

“We’re a lot happier with where are at the moment compared to a few weeks ago,” Garcia told last night’s instalment of ‘Let’s Talk Football’. “It’s been a gradual improvement (and) a continuation of what we’ve been doing, even when we weren’t getting the results. We’re showing the same kinds of behaviours and, obviously, things have gone our way.”

Inglewood’s most recent success was a hard-fought 1-0 win over lowly Subiaco AFC. “We made it difficult for ourselves,” Garcia said of the weekend game. “Our ball movement was very slow and that gave Subiaco the chance to get behind. They’re a well-organised side and we expected a tough game, but at no stage did we feel too threatened.”

Kenny Keogh put away the deciding goal midway through the second half, however, the outcome could have been different had it not been for Aleks Vrteski’s penalty save late in proceedings. “The guy (Subiaco striker Kevin White) hit the penalty pretty well and Aleks pulled off a really good save,” reflected Garcia. “Aleks is a quality ‘keeper.”

With Inglewood’s continued climb up the ladder foremost in his thoughts, Garcia is already looking towards next season. “We want to put things in place not just for this year but for future years,” he said. “We’re starting to look at the younger guys coming through, from the 20s and 18s. It’s a matter of gelling those guys together and building to go forward.”