New Perth Glory coach Ron Smith ended his first assignment as an A-League coach impressed at the potential of his club after its 0-0 draw with Adelaide in the Preseason Cup.

As Socceroo Stan Lazaridis made his maiden appearance on the field for the Glory, former Australian football technical director Smith assessed from the sidelines.

And while there were no goals to speak of at Perth's Dorrien Gardens, Smith was in no doubt about what impact the Glory could have when the A-League begins in late August.

"It was an opportunity for me to see a lot of the lads play that I haven't really seen in a close competitive game, and knowing the players we have got to come back into contention, we'll be competitive, absolutely no question," Smith said.

"I was very pleased with what I saw today, in terms of the discipline, the attitude to doing their jobs and the collective spirit. I am really looking forward to working with them."

Lazaridis, who was a member of Australia's squad but did not play in the World Cup, got through 70 minutes in his first significant outing in three months. He was equally impressed.

"Big things are expected from myself, and Ron coming in, and we are pleasantly surprised at the way we played today - we were very organised and Ron managed to get the team shape," Lazaridis said.

"It is very encouraging, we need time to work on things we have got to give Ron at least a month ... but in general I think people will walk away and they will think yeah, it is looking good."

The draw kept alive Perth's chances of making the pre-season cup semi-finals.

With one more round to play, the Glory sit in third place in group A - three points adrift of Adelaide.

The West Australians need to beat Sydney FC in Wollongong next Saturday to stand a chance of winning some pre-season silverware.

Last season's grand finalists Central Coast and Sydney FC have already booked their places in the final four.

The Mariners hammered Melbourne 3-1 at Olympic Park on Saturday to secure their place in group A.

While Sydney, who will have star player Dwight Yorke back on deck next week, drew 0-0 with the New Zealand Knights in Auckland to confirm its passage through group B.

The Knights, after winning just one game in a forgettable A-League campaign last season, have so far proved the surprise packets in the Preseason Cup.

Sitting second in group B, they are in the box seat to claim a berth in the semi-finals after their third-straight draw.

Newcastle and Queensland Roar remain one point behind in group B after also playing out a 0-0 draw at Port Macquarie.

The Knights travel to Adelaide on Friday in the final round of games, with Newcastle hosting Melbourne at Tamworth and the Roar taking on Central Coast in Toowoomba.

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