Perth Glory coach Tony Popovic has hailed the class of Socceroos central defender Matthew Spiranovic following his successful return to A-League action.
Playing his first game in five weeks, the 30-year-old was a composed and commanding figure in the Glory's 3-0 win over Central Coast in Gosford on Sunday.
The victory gave Perth a six-point lead with just three rounds remaining.
The battling Mariners tried desperately to prise open Perth's obdurate defence, playing numerous crosses and passes into the penalty area.
Spiranovic and his colleagues defused most of the danger however and allowed their opponents just a few sniffs at goal.
Spiranovic has played in just 11 of the Glory's 24 league games, this season, returning in December after more than a year out with hip problems.
In the matches he has played, Perth have given up just six goals, kept six clean sheets and only once conceded more than one.
Conversely, they have let in 16 goals in the 13 games he didn't play.
"He is a classy player, that's exactly what he is," Popovic said of Spiranovic.
"He's been out for five weeks, so you could see at the end he was finding the conditions quite tough.
"We've tried to nurse him along in this little period and not force him back, and he showed his quality tonight amongst the team."
Perth, who have now achieved a club record of ten clean sheets in a season, can just about clinch the Premiers Plate with a home win over Newcastle next Sunday.
Midfielder and fellow veteran and Socceroo Neil Kilkenny was another strong performer on Sunday, with Popovic rating his display as excellent.
He swelled his goal tally for the season to six by scoring a fifth penalty.
The only injury issue arising out of Sunday's game was a shoulder dislocation for Socceroo attacker Chris Ikonomidis, who will undergo scans.
Australian Associated Press
