Perth Glory fell to a 6-2 defeat to West Ham United at Optus Stadium on Saturday night, but the club’s brigade of young talent certainly turned heads in the friendly affair.
If 17-year-old Perth Glory talent Daniel Bennie eventually ends up following the trend of rising Australian stars making European moves abroad, Kenny Lowe may come calling for a finder’s fee.
The Glory interim boss had just watched the Australia U17 international score a well-taken goal against West Ham United in a pre-season friendly at Optus Stadium, when he was asked about the future of the young striker – whose composure on the ball and the big stage at 17 was clear to see in his eye-catching 45-minute outing against the Premier League club.
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“Like any kid he’s got a s***load of potential,” Lowe said. “He’s just got to turn that potential into (something).
“And if that happens I’ll be his agent and take the 10%, you know what I mean?” He joked. “That’s how it works!
Australian football is revelling in the emergence of a new generation of footballers that keep on surprising. And in Perth, there’s no player causing more excitement ahead of the 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League season than the bright young forward who only recently shone at the U17 Asian Cup with the Joeys before signing his first scholarship deal at the club.
Bennie was swarmed for autographs in the aftermath of Perth’s 6-2 loss to the Hammers on Saturday night; he told KEEPUP at the time it was his intention to sign every single one of them.
He’s a young player with an assured head that Lowe believes has everything needed to grow into a great talent should he keep that head level.
“Daniel is young. He’s got potential,” Lowe said. “He just needs to keep his feet on the ground, keep working hard and doing the things that have got him here to play tonight, and keep progressing that and growing that.
“He’s a super kid, he’s balanced, he’s got no ego, a good family. He’s got plenty of chances.”
Bennie was one of nine teenagers blooded against West Ham by Lowe. He’s the club’s academy director who knows a thing or two about emerging talent in the west.
Three other 17-year-olds also received minutes: Corey Sutherland, Andriano Lebib and Jaylan Pearman.
From that quartet, Lowe predicted it was either Bennie or Sutherland that West Ham boss David Moyes had hinted he’d be keeping his eye on when the two teams met.
That was if he was a betting man, of course.
“If I had to put my money on it I’d probably say Corey Sutherland or Daniel Bennie. But then again, it’s my money so probably not.”
Aiki Tsukamoto and Joel Anasmo – both 18 – came off the bench in the second half. The latter almost scored just after the restart, denied by Hammers keeper Łukasz Fabianski at the far post after a clinical team move down the right wing involving Bennie and James Overy – who played out of position for 45 minutes… as a 15-year-old.
“The right-back was 15 – and he’s a winger,” he said. “He’s never played right back in his life. Poor lad. He won’t sleep tonight – and he was brilliant.”
And as for Lowe’s thoughts on the save on Anasmo’s attempt on goal? “Young Joel at the far stick, if he had stuck that in I would have gone straight to the bar afterwards, because that would have been some unbelievable goal.”
Rounding out the teenage Glory contingent were 19-year-olds Joseph Forde and Kaelan Majekodunmi. Forde played from the start, and despite getting exposed at left-back for West Ham’s opening goal inside two minutes, survived a baptism of fire through the opening 10 minutes and settled into his rhythm.
He was one of Glory’s best performers by the half-time whistle in a game that will do wonders for his development.
But the night truly belonged to West Ham United star Jarrod Bowen, who scored a pair of classy second-half goals against the inexperienced Perth Glory outfit in the 6-2 win.
Lowe had promised an injection of youth to his Glory squad, as the club simultaneously prepares for an Australia Cup playoff against Macarthur FC on Tuesday – and he was as good as his word.
But barely 60 seconds had passed before West Ham found the opener. It was Pablo Fornals and Daniel Chesters who combined to unpick the lock of the Glory defence, with the latter firing a low cross into the penalty area which brushed off the inside of Darryl Lachman’s leg on the way into the back of the net.
The task for Perth was to stay competitive with the Premier League side for as long as they could manage – and the instant opener gave the hosts a mountain to climb.
Adam Taggart threatened in the 13th minute with a well-hit strike that stung the gloves of Łukasz Fabianski in goal for the Hammers. That chance was forged by Johnny Koutroumbis, who at first lost possession clumsily before regaining it high up the pitch, and sliding Taggart into the box to shoot.
Trent Ostler was one of Glory’s bright performers early doors, with his blocked shot from a tight angle another encouraging moment for Perth – before the gap widened in the 20th minute.
Gianluca Scamacca scored West Ham’s second from the spot. It was the Italian’s deft touch with back to goal that created the chance, as he flicked the ball onward for Fornals to go one-on-one with Oli Sail in the box.
Koutroumbis dragged Fornals down in the area, and referee Alireza Faghani pointed to the spot. Scamacca stepped forward and dispatched a thunderous spot kick to make it 2-0.
Taggart received another chance to score moments after – and like the first time he failed to convert. He snatched at Ostler’s pass in an attempt to find the far-left corner, but the ball faded wide of the mark.
On his Glory debut, Sail almost gifted West Ham a third when a clumsy touch in the box presented to the lurking Scamacca who couldn’t put his shot on target to punish the Glory custodian.
Taggart and Ostler continued their linkup in the final third deep in the first half. Taggart received a magnificent chance to score when Ostler’s whipped delivery off the right flank found him unmarked for a close-range header, which was well saved by a flying Fabianski.
Moments later Taggart was in again, found by a searching lofted through pass by Jordan Elsey. Taggart took a touch that caught the chasing Kurt Zouma completely cold – but Fabianski was once again up to the task of keeping the Glory striker out.
In between the two Taggart attempts came a touching tribute from those in the stands at Optus Stadium; it was led by the West Ham support behind the goal their side defended through the first half, with the fans rising to their feet to applaud in the memory of Perth-born Dylan Tombides, who lost his life to testicular cancer aged 20 in 2014.
Glory continued to hunt for an equaliser – and just before the break, got their reward for a valiant effort to make amends for a sluggish start. That reward came in the form of a Luizao own goal, diverted into his own net after a Stefan Colakovski cross from out wide. The former Melbourne City winger played just 61 minutes in his debut A-League Men season in the west, but earned a start against West Ham under interim boss Kenny Lowe – and repaid the faith.
Perth rang the changes at half-time – so much so, in fact, that the club’s social media team was forced to produce a new lineup graphic to account for the entirely new XI.
Glory interim Lowe revealed pre-game that he would trust the kids in the second half, and that’s exactly what he did. On came the likes of 17-year-old Bennie, who combined with James Overy, 15, to create an early chance for 18-year-old Joel Anasmo, snuffed out by an excellent Fabianski save.
The Glory youngsters were all over the park – and were taking it to West Ham in a bright start to the second half – before an England international showed he was a cut above by scoring West Ham’s third.
That player was Jarrod Bowen, who popped up ahead of Andriano Lebib at the front post to turn a first-time shot off the outside of his boot and into the back of the net.
Bowen turned provider soon after with a perfect delivery off the right wing which Emerson brushed home to make it 4-1. But then came a moment to savour for the 17-year-old Bennie, who pounced on a loose ball after Anasmo’s run toward the box, taking the ball in his stride and finishing calmly into the bottom-right corner.
West Ham had a rising star of their own on the pitch in the second half, in the form of 18-year-old prized academy prospect Divin Mubama who found the back of the net from close range to make it 5-2. Glory’s youthful lineup had simply run out of steam late in the piece, and a clinical Bowen made them pay with another clinical finish – West Ham’s sixth.
