Defender Darryl Lachman has opened up on the stress of turning out for ownerless Perth Glory, saying players felt they had to perform to save people's jobs.
Glory went into receivership last July when long-time owner Tony Sage handed back the club's licence amidst financial troubles.
A mooted sale to Primeland owner Robert Brij spectacularly fell through in November, and it wasn't until February that the club was finally sold to property tycoon Ross Pelligra.
During that seven-month period without an owner, Glory's player recruitment was severely restricted, and they were forced by the Australian Professional Leagues to loan out star winger Salim Khelifi to rivals Melbourne Victory.
The arrival of Pelligra as the club's owner has been a breath of fresh air for players and backroom staff.
Lachman, who is in his fourth season at Glory, revealed the pressure the playing group felt while the club was in the ownership wilderness.
"It brought a little bit of stress on the playing group," the 34-year-old Dutchman said.
"Not stress in a bad way, but it was like it all came on the playing group, 'You have to perform to keep their jobs'.
"That's how it felt before. Now it's just like we can focus on our game, and they can focus on their jobs, and the owner sorts the rest of the things out."
Glory's six-match unbeaten run was brought to a halt last weekend when they suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to last-placed Western United.
Perth coach Alen Stajcic described the performance as his team's worst of the season, with the result leaving Glory eight points adrift of sixth spot with eight games remaining.
A win over 11th-placed Newcastle in Perth on Saturday night is a non-negotiable if Glory want to stay in the finals mix.
Lachman isn't giving up hope of reaching the finals.
"I believe in it," he said.
"We just have to have seven or eight or nine players out of the 11 to be really good.
"In the last game, if it's only two or three, then we're not going to win the game."
Glory will have to keep a close eye on star Newcastle striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, who has scored 14 goals in 18 games this season.
The 24-year-old is just two goals away from equalling the record for the most goals by a Jets player in an A-League Men season.
Current Glory striker Adam Taggart netted 16 for Newcastle in 2013/14.
