Perth Glory in Bunbury: Local product Josh Risdon says having chance to play at home ‘really special’

Bunbury product Josh Risdon said having the chance to represent Perth Glory in front of family and friends at Hay Park at the weekend was “really special”. Back at his home state club after seven years spent on the east coast with Western Sydney Wanderers and Western United, Risdon featured in his customary right-back position as the Glory lost 3-2 to Newcastle Jets in a pre-season clash on Sunday. A host of family, friends and former Bunbury United Soccer Club teammates stood pitchside watching Risdon’s first game at hallowed Hay Park grounds in more than a decade. Speaking after the game, Risdon said the whole club had a “really good weekend” in the South West. “We came down Friday and engaged with the community and had a little clinic on Saturday. It’s been nice to be down here,” he said. Risdon is one of several new faces at the Glory as they seek to bounce back from a last-placed finish in last year’s A-League Men’s season. The 32-year-old said he was enjoying playing in a high-intensity game plan installed by new coach David Zdrilic. “I think no one’s really had this sort of system before, so it’s been a lot of learnings,” he said. “That’s why it’s good to have pre-season, to get the style right. “It’s exciting, especially for me in my position, I like to get forward and be on the front foot, so it helps with my game as well.” A leaky Glory defence which conceded a league-worst 69 goals last year has seen some significant personnel change over the off-season, with Risdon, Ecuadorian centre-back Luis Canga and veteran Lachlan Barr among the new additions. Much of the focus on Zdrilic’s philosophy has been on their attacking output but Risdon said defence had been a constant focus through the pre-season. “We’ve been working on our defensive structure and trying to be as lean as possible in the goals department,” he said. “In the A-League, there’s always a lot of chances created, so it’s hard. “Conceding goals is a big thing, if you can keep it to a minimum, you’re going to be up there on the ladder.” Risdon said the team’s goal for the upcoming season was to return for the finals for the first time since the 2019/20 campaign. “I think we’ve got the squad and the system to do that. The club’s in a good place at the moment, so it’s exciting times for us,” he said. Risdon spent a long time after the game signing autographs and did much of it without a shirt, telling the Times he had given it away to a fan. “I was planning on giving it away and he was the first kid to ask me — he seemed pretty happy,” he said. “I need these boots for when we play in Albany, so I can’t give those away just yet.”