Adelaide United captain Travis Dodd denied the attention surrounding his future is affecting his game after the Reds went down 2-1 to Central Coast Mariners in a season shaping loss at Hindmarsh Stadium on Saturday night.
The Reds now trail the second placed Mariners by four points with three games remaining while Dodd was left to answer questions over a scathing interview published on The World Game website with his agent Buddy Farah.
Farah accused coach Rini Coolen and Adelaide United of forcing Dodd out of the club but the skipper confirmed he has since spoken to his agent and the club, clearing the air with both parties.
Dodd admitted he wasn’t aware Farah had gone public with the accusations and that he and his manager are now on the ‘same page’.
“There’s been a lot said in the media but I’ve spoken to the football department and the coaching staff and we just keep working and trying to achieve results each week,” he said.
“We’re all here for the same things – to win a title – and that’s not going to change. Tonight we just weren’t good enough, especially in the first half.”
“I spoke to my agent after (the article was published). I’ve had a meeting with him and had a chat with him. I wasn’t aware he had spoken to the media. We had a good chat as well and we’re on the same page now.”
Dodd reaffirmed his commitment to Adelaide United and admitted he was never going to leave the Reds before season’s end with speculation rife the 31 year-old had already signed with Perth Glory.
The club’s record games holder and goal scorer strongly stated he still intends to have a long future with United.
“I’ve got no intention of leaving, I never had any intention of leaving before the season ended,” he said.
“That was never talked about. I want to stay here at this club and win a championship and hopefully I can stay beyond that. That’s something that we work towards each week and the other stuff will work itself out.”
Reds boss Coolen accepted the fate of United’s season and where they will finish is now out of their hands and depends on the Mariners dropping points in their three remaining games.
United had a chance to leapfrog the Mariners by two points and secure second spot with a win but instead, the defeat has seen the Reds drop into third, four points off the pace.
“It’s a big loss because at the moments things aren’t in our own hands to finish second in the league,” he said.
“But, there are still a couple of games to go and we will fight till the last game to try and get that spot back. It’s not easy and if not we have to be ready for the other games in the finals.”
“I’m not happy with the result of course. We can play at a better level but it’s also credit for the team we played against today. We were not good enough today to beat Central Coast.”
