Perth coach Lowe left to lament another loss

Glory’s winless run extend to nine games after Archie Thompson scored a late winner to seal a 2-1 triumph for Melbourne Victory at nib Stadium on Saturday night.

Perth has not won since January 10 and faces the unwanted prospect of claiming the wooden spoon for the first time unless they can find a winning edge in the final four games of the season.

Lowe took over the coaching reins on an interim basis in December and has struggled to balance a youthful squad with experienced players despite bringing in the likes of Rostyn Griffiths, Nebojsa Marinkovic and Darvydas Sernas during the January transfer window.

Glory fielded six players aged 23 or under during the loss to Victory and Lowe admitted that was contributing to his side’s lack of results in recent weeks.

“We were in the game all day long, but you can't have that naivety and expect to win games,” Lowe said.

“There was honest application out there, but there was a bit of frustration from the older players because of the lack of intelligence at times and lack of game-savvy, but that comes after you've had 50 or 60 league games, not five or six.

“It's not a lack of quality, it's a lot of naivety.”

Glory remains last on the A-League table with 22 points, nine points adrift of sixth-placed Adelaide United, forcing Lowe to concede his team’s finals chances are all but over.

Lowe said he wanted 90-minute performances from his side to close out what has been a very dismal season that climaxed in December when Alistair Edwards was sacked as coach amid a player revolt.

Glory has won just two games since Lowe was appointed caretaker manager and the 52-year-old is keen to remain in charge, but he would not speculate on what might beyond the next four games.

“I’d love to be around to have an influence on them further down the line, but whether that happens I haven’t got a clue,” Lowe said.

“I know while I’ve been here I’ve enjoyed myself and I think I’ve coped admirably with the issues we’ve had at the club.

“Can I coach? Yes I can coach, but it’s down to the other people to make the choices and the way before.

“Hopefully they make the right decision and whether that right decision is me or someone else, I hope it’s the right decision for the club.”

Glory expects to regain youngster Daniel De Silva for next Sunday’s away clash with Western Sydney after he suffered a mild concussion when struck by a ball during the pre-match warm-up on Saturday when he was struck by a ball in the head.