Perth Glory coach Richard Garcia says he will continue to take a cautious approach with Japanese star Kosuke Ota despite the defender's stunning A-League debut off the bench last week.
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Glory were originally set to give Ota several more weeks of training to help the 33-year-old build up his fitness after two weeks of hotel quarantine.
But with training sessions set to become more about conservation rather than intensity due to the tight fixture, Garcia decided to give Ota a cameo off the bench in Friday night's 3-1 win over Brisbane.
Ota came on in the 61st minute with the score locked at 1-1 and he played a hand in two goals to help lift Glory to their third straight win.
The former Japan international will get another taste of action in Tuesday night's clash with Central Coast in Perth, but Garcia said it was important to continue managing Ota's minutes.
"We had a chat amongst ourselves and the medical team and said maybe we can build him up through games," Garcia said of the speedy left back.
"It's a bit like what we're trying to do with Andy (Keogh) - give them a bit more exposure to game time that's actually controlled.
"You get tired in the last half an hour of games and people then pull up sore, and that's when you get those injuries.
"So we want to protect them from that and get them up to speed and then they'll be able to run out the 90 minutes."
Keogh also came on in the 61st minute against the Roar, after injuring his groin several weeks earlier.
The 34-year-old striker will be looking to build up his match time when he fronts up against Central Coast.
"He's still in the building phase," Garcia said.
"We're still hoping to get a few more minutes out of him, whether that be the front end or the back end."
The Mariners, last season's wooden spooners, are the shock ladder leaders after posting six wins from nine matches.
But Glory, who have three games in hand over the Mariners, are the hottest team in the competition after scoring an A-League record 18 goals from their first six matches.
Garcia feels his men still have plenty of room to improve despite their hot form.
"We've still got a lot more in the tank than what we showed on Friday night," Garcia said.
"Hopefully the cobwebs are out and Tuesday night will be a much cleaner performance."
Australian Associated Press
