Countdown to Glory-ous cup tie

Above: Moreton City Excelsior celebrate reaching the Round of 16. Picture Ella Dingwall @ellaa_media

Moreton City Excelsior (MCE), the youngest team in this year’s Australia Cup, will make history next week.

MCE, formed when Albany Creek Excelsior and Moreton Bay United merged late last year, hosts A-League Perth Glory in the national Round of 16.

It is MCE’s second time at this stage, but the first time the club, or its forebears (ACE formed 1963, MBU 2013), has faced A-League opposition in a competitive fixture.

Perth was originally drawn first, but Cup rules state Moreton City Excelsior, as a Member Federation club, would be the host.

The tie, on August 28, is at Perry Park in Bowen Hills, kick-off 7.30pm. Admission Adults $15, Under 16s $5. Click here for tickets or see below.

The tie has been switched from MCE’s home ground Wolter Park in Albany Creek, as Perry Park has around four times the capacity.

MCE President Tony Dooley described the glamour cup tie as “the opportunity the coach and players deserve on the national stage”.

“The exposure will enable them benchmark their ability against an A-League franchise which has been in good form in 2024,” he said.

“It also highlights a fantastic journey for many of our academy graduates, such as Declan Smith, Rhys Gwynn-Jones and Wil Edmiston, who have been with us since under 12s.

“This, and the recent acclamation for other academy graduates, Arthur DeLima, Rylan Brownlie, Charlie Parkin, Rhys Williams and Bailey Brandtnam, is testament to the success of the junior program over a sustained period.”

Striker Marquez Walters, MCE's leading NPL scorer with 19 this season, said during the live Round of 16 draw he was “praying” for Perth Glory.

“We got picked out and my reaction was it was going to be a good fight and a really good game,” he told the Australia Cup website.

“What I hope to get out of this is to put the club’s name and my name out there to show we aren’t a small club at all.

“We have so much heart and so much passion that we give on the field, any team that comes against us will have a run for their money.”

MCE beat Campbelltown City, from South Australia, 5-1 to reach this Round of 16 for a second time in seven years. The first was in 2017.

Perth, twice Australia Cup finalists, beat fellow A-Leaguers Brisbane Roar in a play-off and then three-time premiers Melbourne City.

While MCE is second on the NPL Qld ladder with two rounds to play, Perth is still in its pre-season, with A-League fixtures starting on October 18.

For tickets to the Australia Cup clash at Perry Park click here.

All Round of 16 matches will be streamed live and free on 10 Play, thanks to the Football Australia’s Broadcast Partner, 10 Paramount.