Adelaide coach Veart tips more goals for record-breaking Goodwin

Adelaide United head coach Carl Veart expects goals could flow more freely for his star Craig Goodwin now that he finally holds the club’s A League Men individual scoring record outright.

The 30-year-old Socceroo was stuck on 35 goals with Bruce Djite for the last three games, but the first of two goals in Tuesday’s vital 3-2 away win over Sydney FC enabled him to claim sole ownership of the record.

“I’m so happy for him,” Veart said. “I think it’s played on his mind a little bit, this record, because everyone has been talking about it for quite a long time.

“To finally get rid of that, I think we might see a few more goals start to flow.”

Apart from scoring twice, Goodwin also had an assist for Adelaide’s other goal, supplying a deadly accurate free-kick headed in by George Blackwood for an 89th-minute equaliser.

“We know the quality that Craig has and tonight he’s got two goals, it wasn’t his best night,” Veart said.

“But he stuck at it and he’s popped up and got the job done for us and that’s what Craig does.”

Goodwin’s classy finish in the fifth minute of stoppage time secured Adelaide a precious win which pushed them up to fourth, above Sydney, who have played a game more and have just two matches left.

Adelaide have logged successive victories after going four games without a win and all of their last three matches are at home.

“We now have a 12-day break before we play again, so all our boys can freshen up and have a really good crack at the last three games,”  Veart said.

Veart expected injured players Michael Jacobsen, Jacob Tratt and Kusini Yengi to be available for their next game against Perth Glory on Sunday week.

While Adelaide won’t complete their three remaining matches until May 8, Sydney have a far more demanding schedule.

They have six AFC Champions League group games in Vietnam between April 17 and May 1 and were scheduled to meet at Sydney Airport well under 12 hours after Tuesday’s demoralising defeat.

Sydney head coach Steve Corica said it would need a miracle for his fifth-placed side to make the finals, with most of the teams above and below them having three or four games in hand.

“It (the ACL) is a different competition, it’s a new start,” Corica said. 

“But of course that (the loss to Adelaide) is going to sting them it’s going to hurt, it should hurt, because they were in control of that  game.”

Sydney wasted good chances and were punished for defensive lapses, which have occurred more often this season than in recent campaigns 

Corica suggested Sydney’s crowded schedule this season may have contributed to that problem.

“Because you’re playing every three days, I think that’s probably a factor in it,” Corica said.