Glory keep the faith

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Ian Ferguson was delighted to repay the faith shown by Perth Glory owner Tony Sage by steering the club to their first Hyundai A-League Grand Final.

Perth hung on against a dominant but wasteful Central Coast at Bluetongue Stadium in Saturday's qualifying final and ultimately triumphed on penalties after a playing out a 1-1 draw.

Just reaching the season showpiece is an incredible achievement for a team that was struggling so badly mid-season that Ferguson's job was under serious review.

But now Ferguson is hoping his side's amazing wave of momentum can carry them all the way to an upset victory over defending champions Brisbane Roar on Sunday to grab their first piece of silverware in the Hyundai A-League era.

"I'm absolutely delighted with the effort and the commitment the boys have shown this year. Everybody's underrated them," Ferguson said.

"Everybody's not given them the credit they deserve. I'm just delighted to be in the final.

"It's one of the proudest moments of my career as a coach.

"To get here in under two years is an amazing feat. I'm absolutely delighted. It's funny how football works. At Christmas you're hanging on to your job and hoping you get a chance to keep it going.

"Tony and the board showed great faith in keeping me on. I'm absolutely delighted that we've reached the final because it pays back the faith that Tony's shown."

The magnitude of his side's victory had not sunk in immediately after Saturday's final, but Ferguson did admit his side had ridden their luck in Gosford.

"It's a strange feeling at the moment," Ferguson said. "It'll sink in over the next few hours. It was a magnificent effort from the boys tonight, going to extra time again.

"It was a strange game. I thought the Mariners were on top for ten or 15 minutes then we created some chances for ten or 15 minutes.

"That's football. I've seen us dominate games and get nothing. The Mariners hit the crossbar and Danny (Vukovic) dropped one onto the crossbar so I guess you could say at times we rode our luck but then again (Shane) Smeltz has missed a fantastic chance at the end that could have clinched it for us."

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