Macarthur FC advanced to the Australia Cup quarter-finals, continuing Dwight Yorke’s electric start to life as a head coach down under.
After thrashing Magpies Crusaders 6-0 to begin his coaching stint in Australia with a bang, the Bulls comprehensively beat Modbury Jets 4-0 in their last-16 clash in South Australia on Wednesday night.
At ServiceFM Stadium in South Australia, Macarthur went through courtesy of goals from Al Hassan Toure, Charles M’Mombwa and a Lachlan Rose brace.
Reflecting on his side’s victory, Manchester United great Yorke said: “I thought we were a bit lucky in the first half, we didn’t play particularly great.
“We changed the shape a little bit for this game and maybe we confused the players a little bit. But nevertheless, Modbury were outstanding first half and we needed to get a grip of the game.
“We are still very early in the process of the team in terms of getting to know the personnel, so this was a bit of a learning curve for us, but nevertheless we got through to the next round which was our main aim.”
Joining the Bulls in the last eight of the competition are fellow Isuzu UTE A-League outfit Sydney FC, the club Yorke starred for as a player during his A-League stint.
The Sky Blues secured their spot with a 2-1 win over NPL Men VIC club Bentleigh Greens, thanks to goals from youngsters Adrian Segecic and Aaron Gurd.
Steve Corica’s men, however, didn’t have it all their own way with Ajak Riak firing past Socceroos custodian Andrew Redmayne in the 86th minute to ensure a tense conclusion to the tie.
“I am really proud of a couple of our young players,” Sydney head coach Corica said. “Aaron Gurd, that was his first start, and (Adrian) Segecic, they both scored crucial goals for us.
“(The Australia Cup) is giving a lot of these young boys an opportunity to play and to progress. We will get some new recruits in for the next game, a bit more experience as well. The Cup is very important for us and we want to go all the way.”
The round-of-16 action continues on Sunday as Sydney United 58 host reigning A-League Men champions Western United at Sydney United Sports Centre, while Peninsula Power (QLD) and Green Gully (VIC) do battle at AJ Kelly Park in the Sunshine State.
Like last year, the Australia Cup winner will be granted one of Australia’s slots in the Group Stage of the AFC Cup which is one tier below the AFC Champions League.
The final will take place on October 1, a few days before the A-League Men’s campaign gets underway.
