Perth Glory coach Ruben Zadkovich has shot down rumours of a training pitch bust-up after his under-strength side posted a shock 1-0 win over Western Sydney at Macedonia Park.
Rumours surfaced before Friday night’s match that Glory winger Ryan Williams and English defender Mark Beevers had been dropped after a fall-out with Zadkovich.
Glory youngster Keegan Jelacic’s 59th-minute strike proved the difference as Glory posted their third win of the season.
But the hot topic after the match was all about whether Williams and Beevers had fallen out with Zadkovich.
Zadkovich emphatically shot down those rumours.
“I think someone is having a lend of you guys,” Zadkovich said.
“There were certainly no training ground bust-ups, we didn’t train. That’s actually quite funny, because all we’ve done is really recover.
“I haven’t seen where it (the rumours) comes from or where it stems from, and to be honest I couldn’t give a s**t.
“When you’re down the bottom of the ladder, the wolves will come out and people will talk.
“But I’m not interested in rumours or hearsay. What I am interested in is sticking very clear to the long-term plan of this club.”
Williams and Beevers had played every game this season up until Friday’s match.
When asked why the pair weren’t included in the match day squad, Zadkovich said it was simply due to injury, and that the duo had played an active role in celebrating the win after the match.
“They were leading the team song in there and having a right old chuckle,” he said.
“When you’re down the bottom, people will try to create conflict outside of our four walls.
“Beevs didn’t play with a stiff back, and Ryan had a sore groin. They both tried to train here the day before the game and didn’t get through their fitness test.”
Zadkovich also confirmed that Irish midfielder Aaron McEneff will miss a minimum of eight more weeks with a foot injury.
Glory will also be sweating on the fitness of star attacker Salim Khelifi, who limped off with groin pain in the first half.
Zadkovich handed goalkeeper Cameron Cook a start ahead of veteran Liam Reddy, and the 21-year-old took his chance with both hands by pulling off a series of sharp saves to earn Glory their first clean sheet of the season.
The Wanderers entered the match full of confidence after thumping Macarthur 4-0 last week, but they came crashing back to earth in one of their most disappointing displays of the season.
The pivotal moment came in the 59th minute when Glory substitute David Williams skipped past two defenders in the box before squeezing the ball to Jelacic, whose left-foot strike went in off the post.
It was Jelacic’s first goal in the ALM in just his eighth appearance.
The Wanderers pushed hard for a late equaliser, but Cook was on hand each time to thwart them.
