Perth still in hunt for second

Down 1-0 at half time, Azzurri played a dramatic second half, scoring five goals, which brought them one game closer to second-placed Athena on the ladder.

The first four goals from Andreas Theodosiades, Frank Furfaro and Mark Pritchard were scored within 15 minutes of each other, with Dean Evans delivering the final goal in the last four minutes.

Coach Taki Nicolaidis said the clear skies added to their well-deserved win.

"Against a team who's been in good form all season, six points above us and have scored seven or eight goals more than us, its good to have come out from 1-0 at half-time and put five against them," Nicolaidis said.

"Defensively, I thought we were good all game. Even though we were behind at half-time, I thought we were defensively strong and didn't really give them too many chances."

Floreat scored early in the game when Lewis McMahon belted the ball past keeper Francis Soale.

During the half-time break, Nicolaidis said the boys were eager to bounce back after the previous week and when Theodosiades equalised, the game started to come together.

"Come the second half I felt we worked harder, got the ball to our feet, got the runners working off forward runs and yes, we might have been a little bit lucky with that first goal, but it gave us that little spurt and luck that we needed and we just went on from there," Nicolaidis said.

"Had we lost, it would have been nine points with three games to go plus goal difference, so it would have been all over."

With three points narrowing the goal difference from seven down to four, with three games we've still got to keep winning and keep putting the pressure on them."

Floreat take on Bayswater next week and then go on to play Balcatta and Sorrento.

"They've got a tough run, but whatever happens, happens," he said.

Nicolaidis praised the whole team for the effort, singling out two-goal Pritchard and recently returned youngster Furfaro.

"Mark Pritchard is a class act, especially in front of goals, and he's always been known to be a good finisher," he said.

"We brought him out here four years ago and from the first session when he arrived in Australia, you could see he was a guy who knows how to find the back of the net.

"And Frankie is one of those guys who during training will get the ball and take it to the side and keep practising his finishing.

"Today he hit that sweet spot and it couldn't have come at a better time."

Surprised to be in the starting team, Furfaro said he was happy with the outcome and to be back from injury.

"I was shocked when I heard I was starting, but I felt as though I held my own," he said.

"There were definitely a couple of things I felt I could have done better but overall it was just good to be back."