Adelaide United believes it may have finally found the line-up to shake its mid-season blues.
On Friday night, the Reds could only manage a draw against a Gold Coast side down to 10 men but coach Aurelio Vidmar was full of praise for his new-look team.
Captain Travis Dodd and Mathew Leckie played up front, Cassio was moved to his preferred position of left back while Scott Jamieson and Cristiano started the game on the bench.
Vidmar said there was every chance he’d go in with an unchanged line-up against North Queensland next Saturday.
“We’ll try to keep the momentum going certainly, I thought everyone tonight was very, very good,” Vidmar said.
“If everyone comes out unscathed during the course of the week I can’t see why we wouldn’t start with that same 11.”
Adelaide has struggled for goals this season and managed just the one last-minute score against the Gold Coast. But Vidmar said the Dodd-Leckie partnership could prove a fruitful one.
“I thought they were very good, the movement was good they are two players that are very quick and dynamic and they caused a lot of problems in the first half, a lot of problems,” he said.
While Adelaide hasn’t won since Round 11, Vidmar said his side were still optimistic of reaching the finals and having an impact.
“We’ve just got to keep driving and pushing ourselves and I think what’s really important is the players don’t drop their heads, they still believe they can achieve … we certainly need five, six maybe seven wins, it’s certainly not out of the question,” he said.
“If we can continue to play like that then certainly it can’t continue to go like that for us, something has got to give, something has to change for us and the most important thing that everyone continues to believe that we can do it.”
Vidmar’s mood may not be as upbeat on Saturday when he and CEO Sam Ciccarello front the media in regards to some inappropriate comments made at a press conference on Thursday.
United submitted a formal response to a ‘please explain’ from Football Federation Australia regarding the comments on Friday.
