Perth Glory add Ryan Edwards and Sidnei Sciola Moraes

Alistair Edwards has further bolstered his Perth Glory side by signing Brazilian forward Sidnei Sciola Moraes and Ryan Edwards on loan from Reading. Sciola joins the club on a one-year contract while Edwards joins his brother Cameron, who signed with the Glory after spending part of last season with Melbourne Heart.

Sciola comes to Perth having spent the past five seasons in Europe. The 26-year-old, who will be 27 in November, played in the Cypriot top flight after three seasons in Portugal in both the second and first divisions. A week-long trial and goals in two early pre-season fixtures against Kwinana United and Gosnells City impressed the manager enough to present a contract for the 2013/14 season.

Said the Glory manager in a club press release:

”I’d heard some really good things about [Sciola] before he came to the club, but I wanted to see what he was like off the field, how he would fit into the culture of the group. His footballing ability was unquestionable and now we’ve found out what he’s like as a person and he most definitely fits into our culture. He’s a brilliant guy.

“He’s very exciting, he plays on the left-hand side as a no. 11, but he can also play on the right and as a central striker. He brings a bit of sparkle and if I wasn’t the coach of the team, I’d be buying a membership to come and watch him play.”

As for the younger Edwards, 19, Perth were able to convince Reading to loan him for the season as a means of further development and presumably first team football. This comes on the heels of being a part of the Young Socceroos at the U20 World Cup in Turkey, though he was an unused substitute in each of Australia’s three games. While Edwards could be a helpful addition to a Glory side that scored the fewest goals in the A-League in 2012/13, he is already expressing his desire to use his time in Perth to improve his standing at Reading when he returns.

”I’ve still got two years on my deal at Reading, so it would be good to get a full season of first team football here and then rejoin them next year for pre-season and see what happens then. I’ve been in the Reading U21s, but I’m 19 now so I should be playing first team football and I think this is a good move for me to get that experience and hopefully bring it back to Reading next season.

Originally [Reading] didn’t want me to go, but it’s great that they agreed and that it happened so quickly so I can join the [Glory] team in heading to South Africa at the weekend. [Reading] are all positive about it and it’s good to have their support.”