Coach Andy Keogh says his players are looking forward to hosting runaway league leaders Perth Glory this weekend.   The Glory youngsters are in the midst of a twelve-game unbeaten streak that has taken them to the top of the National Premier Leagues, six points clear of Perth SC.

Inglewood United sits a further point off the pace in third and Keogh, who spends the summer months representing Glory in the A-League, is eager to see how his team measures up against the leaders.   “It’ll be a good game, the lads are looking forward to playing the best team in the league at the moment,” Keogh said.

“Glory have taken some stick over the years, people have moaned about them not being strong enough and then moaned about them being too strong.   This year they’ve set the pace and they’ve continued that form even without the so-called first team players.   It’s good to see them setting the benchmark for the league.”

The title race will be blown wide open should Inglewood take all three points on Saturday.   And while that is exactly what Keogh intends to do, the Republic of Ireland international says winning is not the be all and end all of the NPL.   “We’re happy to be in the top three now and we’re looking to push on as far as we can,” he said.

“Winning is obviously high on the agenda but so is player development.   We have three 20-year olds in our back four, we’ve got a 23 and a 24-year old on the pitch so we’re building for the future (and) we’re looking for our players to get out of the NPL system and, hopefully, get a chance at a higher level.”

National Premier Leagues, Round 23

Inglewood United vs Perth Glory
Saturday 4 August @ Perth Plasterboard Centre Stadium, Inglewood

Under-18s 11.00am
Under-20s 1.00pm
First team 3.00pm