Adelaide United fullback Scott Galloway admits the Reds are still targeting a top-two finish despite Saturday night’s 3-1 shock loss to Western Sydney Wanderers.
It has been difficult to get a read on Marco Kurz’s men this season.
At times Adelaide have been impressive, especially on their way to winning the FFA Cup earlier this season, while they have registered impressive wins against Melbourne Victory and Wellington Phoenix.
But they have often backed such performances up with disappointing defeats, like the loss against the struggling Wanderers in Round 19.
With both Victory and Sydney FC failing to win last weekend, the fourth-placed Reds missed the chance to close the gap on the top three.
“It’s a wake-up call really. It wasn’t a good result for us,” Galloway said.
“Leading into finals, where we could have been a bit further away from seventh spot now it’s made things a little bit… not harder, but we have to be aware of what the risks are.
“But we’re still confident, there’s still eight games to go… as long as we get the results, that top-two finish is always a major possibility, but right now it’s (about) locking down that we’re in the finals.
“We’ve looked at the game, we’ve looked at the mistakes that we made and things that we’ve to improve on and we’ve got a week of training to improve that.”
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‘My best season I’ve ever played’
Last weekend’s result aside, Galloway has enjoyed his first season under Kurz with the Reds.
Despite being just 23, the defender is already at his fourth Hyundai A-League club and moved to Adelaide with a point to prove.
And he’s done just that, starting every match this season and producing consistent performances.
“For me it’s been personally my best season that I’ve played as a professional footballer,” Galloway said.
“Confidence-wise, ability-wise (I’ve loved) everything with the team (and) the coach. For me it’s been a fantastic move.
“I’ve loved every minute of it and I’m looking forward to continue progressing and hopefully getting better for the rest of the season and into Finals.”
