Perth Glory's off-season recruitment drive has continued, with news former Brisbane Roar defender Matthew Dench has joined the club on a two-year deal. The Perth local played his junior football for Perth RedStar and the Perth Glory Academy before spending five years on the books of current English Championship side, Charlton Athletic. After returning to Australia in 2025, the left-footer's stellar form for Oakleigh Cannons in the NPL Victoria earned him a move to Brisbane Roar for whom he made 12 A-League appearances and scored one goal during the 2025-26 Isuzu UTE A-League season. "Coming through the youth ranks and looking up to some of the players that are still here is amazing and it's great to be here," said Dench. "This is my boyhood club, so it means that much more to me to play here and hopefully go far this season. "The thing that excites me most is where we can go this year with the team that we've got. I just think the fans should be as excited as I am to do well this year. "Success this year for me would look like firstly making the top six and secondly, on a personal level, playing well, starting as many games as I can and helping the team to do well. He added: "It's been a big dream of mine for a long time to play for this team in the A-League and I'm really looking forward to being part of what's to come." Glory Football Director Stan Lazaridis believes that Dench will prove to be an excellent addition to the squad. "Matt is a local Perth boy who is extremely mature for his age and determined to do well," said the former Socceroo. "He's been toughened up by five years away in the UK and is a player that we've been keeping tabs on for some time. "Matt will provide competition for the left-back slot, but can also operate on the left of midfield and he really fits the profile of player that we are looking to bring in. "We're delighted to have him on board." The signing of Dench follows on from the club's recent re-signing of club captain Adam Taggart, who put pen-to-paper on a new one-year contract extension. Furthermore, young talents Giovanni De Abreu and Sebastian Despotovski have both signed new contracts with the club, Stefan Colacovski has re-signed for a further season whilst star import Tom Lawrence has also inked a new two-year contract to remain in Western Australia. All of these moves come off the back of news Head Coach Adam Griffiths has also secured his long-term future with the Glory having signed a new two-year contract.