After spending the first third of the season on the ropes if not the canvas, the West Australians have dug deep, clawed their way back into the contest and now sit just three points outside the top four.

Glory’s most recent victory, of course, came against Sydney on Sunday and the contrast between their performance in that game and their display at the same venue in Round 3 highlights the main reasons for the dramatic turnaround in the club’s on field fortunes.

In the August meeting at the SFS, Glory started brightly, only to gift the home side an early goal courtesy of some kamikaze defending. They then battled their way back into the game, grabbed an equalizer and looked more than a match for their hosts before again shooting themselves in the foot.

A dubious penalty decision prompted a mental meltdown from Dino Djulbic and suddenly they were behind again and reduced to ten men. Composure and resolve were required, but they were found to be in short supply as Glory simply crumbled, conceding two more before the break on their way to a 5-2 drubbing.

Fast forward to Round 16, however and Sydney found themselves confronting a very different proposition. Only four of the side that started that painful defeat were also included in Glory’s starting eleven on Sunday, but what was even more noticeable than the change in personnel, was the change in attitude.

Leading through Pellegrino’s early strike, Glory found themselves under siege as Sydney poured forward in waves, their own finals hopes in serious doubt. Set-piece after set-piece was fired into the box by Shannon Cole, but rather than folding as they would have done earlier in the campaign, Glory toughed it out and made a mockery of their lack of possession by nicking a second goal as half-time approached.

Admittedly the painfully out-of-form John Aloisi squandered two glorious chances, much to the dismay of The Cove, but goalkeeper Tando Velaphi was rarely tested and when Wayne Srhoj thundered in a third just after the break, the points were already winging their way west.

Stuart Musialik’s swift reply for the home side would have set the alarm bells ringing for Glory back in August and September, but these days they seem to be made of sterner stuff. Displaying their new-found resolve to full effect, they duly forced a fourth goal to ensure that the final 20 minutes could be played out in the comfort zone, a luxury the club’s long-suffering fans have not enjoyed too often in recent years.

What must be particularly encouraging for Dave Mitchell is that Sunday’s triumph was largely engineered by some of the lesser lights in the side. Eugene Dadi and Nikita Rukavytsya have captured most of the recent headlines with their goalscoring exploits, but they were out-shone on Sunday by the likes of Tando Velaphi, Adriano Pellegrino, Wayne Srhoj and Marc Anthony.

Velaphi’s assured display was in sharp contrast to that of Frank Juric in the Round 3 clash between the two sides. While the veteran stopper looked all at sea every time the ball came his way, Velaphi offered up a masterclass in judgement, positioning and distribution to ensure that he was rarely forced to make a meaningful save.

Admittedly the talented Olyroo was greatly assisted by a far more solid defence constructed around the twin towers of Jamie Harnwell and Nikolai Topor-Stanley. Harnwell was, as ever, a colossus, inspiring his teammates with his bravery and commitment, while Topor-Stanley perhaps significantly reserved his best display of the campaign for a clash with the club that he is reportedly keen to rejoin next season.

Glory did not lack for heroes in midfield either, with both Srhoj and Anthony toiling away relentlessly in the engine room and Pellegrino enhancing his growing reputation with another fine performance on the right flank.
Srhoj’s initial return to the club may have been unheralded, but since regaining his match fitness, he has established himself as a key component in Glory’s midfield

His promising partnership with Jamie Coyne has been disrupted by the latter’s injury problems, but Srhoj has seamlessly adapted his game to complement the very different attributes of Anthony.

Some may sneer at the Anthony’s portly physique, but it should be pointed out that his compatriot Charlie Miller has been one of the A-League’s brightest lights this term and he too is unlikely to grace the front cover of Men’s Health magazine any time soon.

The former Celtic trainee has confounded even the club’s own fitness staff with his work rate and energy and though he has yet to display the full range of his passing and technical skills, he has shown promising signs that he may soon unleash his full arsenal.

It is no coincidence that Anthony tends to direct many of his passes towards the right flank where Pellegrino is fast establishing himself as one of the finds of the season. He may not boast the searing pace of Michael Zullo or Evan Berger, but he has the priceless asset of a footballing brain.

He does the simple things well, has quick feet, good vision and awareness and his delivery from wide areas has been exceptional in recent weeks. Glory fans may not have been wildly enthused when Dave Mitchell plucked the 24-year-old from the obscurity of the South Australian State League, but he has been a genuine revelation and will surely come into contention for the Most Glorious Player award come the end of the season.

Sydney supporters will argue their side dominated for long periods in terms of territory and possession, but since when has it been unusual for an away side to soak up pressure and strike on the break?

That concept was seemingly overlooked by John Kosmina, who was as charmless as ever in defeat and conveniently also seemed to forget that both Dadi and Rukavytsya failed to capitalise on one-on-one situations with Clint Bolton. Kossie’s bitter bleating, however, would have been music to Dave Mitchell’s ears.

The Glory boss has made errors this season, he has admitted as much himself, but his game plan was spot-on against Sydney and his players implemented it to perfection.

Whether they have what it takes to secure what would be a truly remarkable top four finish remains to be seen, but if Glory do manage to down Aurelio Vidmar’s big-hitting South Australian heavyweights on Boxing Day, they would have to be ranked as serious contenders.