The New Zealand international took 32 games over 16 a month period to register his first strike for Perth and Mitchell will be working hard to ensure the wait between drinks isn’t so long next time.

Bertos swept in Glory’s third goal in the cellar dweller’s 4-2 triumph at Sydney and the delight was clear to see as he celebrated with his teammates at the SFS.

Until that moment his only prior joy in front of goal had come in the Pre-Season Cup, netting in 3-2 win over the Central Coast Mariners and then in the 2-1 final defeat by Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium.

Top of last season’s assists chart, Bertos has supplied opportunities for his colleagues once again this year but had yet to display the killer touch in front of goal until Saturday’s trip to the harbour city.

It might not be a case of the floodgates now opening but Mitchell will be working hard on the training ground with the 25-year-old to help increase the scoring output. He certainly believes Bertos is capable of contributing more.

The Perth boss told au.fourfourtwo.com: “He’s a fantastic player and a fantastic character in the dressing room.

"All the boys like him. He just has to have a better end product, crossing and finishing. We’ve got to work with him on that.

“I think we can get a lot more out of Leo and that’s what we’ll be trying to do over the next few weeks.”

Bertos himself has been bemused as to why it’s taken so long to get off the mark. Earlier in the campaign he told au.fourfourtwo.com: “Part of a midfielder’s responsibility is to score goals and it is disappointing. But it’s not like I’ve always struggled to score them.”

By that he means his record prior to joining the Glory. His record in English football should provide Mitchell with suitable encouragement as he bids to fine-tune Bertos’s scoring skills.

The midfielder netted 12 times in 30 games while at English four-tier club Rochdale and was reserve top scorer one year at another English side, Barnsley.