United we stand, United will fall! Can the Reds make it a golden Friday night and pick up a crucial win?
Adelaide United v Gold Coast United
Friday 11th November, 7.30pm
United we stand, United will fall! Can The Reds make it a golden Friday night and pick up a crucial win?
Last week, Adelaide United went some way towards righting the wrongs of a fortnight ago by coming from behind to secure a home draw against Melbourne Heart. Now it’s time to complete the turnaround in form by securing their first win in four.
And you can help them do it. Red Army, the atmosphere you created last week as your players pushed on for the win was fantastic, so ramp it up even more on Friday and cheer your side to three points. You can make all the difference!
It looked like being another grim night for Rini Coolen and his men last time round after defender Brendan Hamill had put Heart in the driving seat early in the second-half with a low drive from outside the box.
However, Reds substitute Spase Dilevski was on hand with an opportunist’s finish from a tight angle to equalise in the 76th minute. While the draw wasn’t quite the result that United wanted, they showed bravery and mental strength to peg back a deficit and avoid defeat.
After losing 7-1 the week before, heads could easily have once again dropped, but they pulled their socks up and, after equalising, pushed on for the win. With a bit more luck in stoppage time, the Reds could have snatched it.
Still, the draw leaves them in a decent frame of mind to go one better this Friday against Gold Coast United, who are licking their wounds after a devastating defeat at Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday.
United raced into a 2-0 lead in a pulsating Hyundai A-League encounter thanks to a fine header from Kristian Rees in the first-half and a cool finish from Dylan Macallister – who rounded the keeper and slotted home – early in the second.
However, a frantic spell of home pressure changed the course of the match. Substitute Bruno Cazarine pulled a goal back for Sydney on the hour before Nicky Carle equalised three minutes later. After that, Miron Bleiberg’s men were clearly rattled but still looked set to take a draw from the game until an injury-time penalty from Karol Kisel sent them home pointless.
However, Adelaide should be wary of the attacking promise that Gold Coast showed in the defeat: scoring from a set-piece and also carving the home defence open for the second goal.
While disappointed at the loss on Sunday, United’s James Brown will still be buzzing after the Football Federation and NAB announced him as the first nominee for the 2011/12 NAB Young Footballer of the Year Award. Brown was voted as the most outstanding U/21 player for the month of October following awesome performances and three goals.
With both sides looking to better their results from last weekend, this is sure to be a Friday night thriller at Hindmarsh. Who will grab the crucial win that will put their season back on the right tracks?
Bring your mates and make it another outstanding atmosphere under the lights on Friday night. It’s United vs United and it’s sure to be a belter. Don’t miss it!
