Coming off the back of a solid training session today, right back, Michael Marrone, welcomed the excitement of the week and was full of praise for his coach and teammates.
Marrone, a critical part of the best defence in the league, said that preparation is fully underway, and the final chapter of the story remains to be written.
“We’re excited and we know that we have to enjoy these moments because they don’t come around too often, especially playing at home,” the 29-year-old said.
“It’s still early in the week so we haven’t spoken about it too much, but we’ll be ready and prepare in the best way that we can for the Wanderers.
“There’s been a really good response from the team heading into this match already, and we’ll be looking at using the strong momentum we have gathered to get that last victory of the season.”
Marrone duly noted that the battle off the pitch would be just as important as his war on the pitch, while praising the enormous presence of Reds fans.
“The fans have been getting behind us and the last game was excellent… probably the best atmosphere that I’ve ever experienced at Coopers,” he said.
“I’ve heard there aren’t too many left already so we’re counting on a lot of support at Adelaide Oval.
“I’m sure the Western Sydney Wanderers fans will be travelling in numbers and chanting the whole game, so hopefully our fans can do the same.”
Marrone credits much of the Reds’ resurgence to the culture that Head Coach Guillermo Amor has created throughout the club.
“He (Guillermo) is a big part of this team’s closeness. The way he wants to interact with each other whether you’re starting, on the bench, or not playing, or injured – you’re still part of the team.”
He was also in the squad for United’s last Hyundai A-League Grand Final match, but didn’t feature, so he knows he must enjoy every moment of the week and relish the match against a tough opponent.
“I think Western Sydney Wanderers are a very good side and being three-nil down on the weekend, it’s definitely not easy to get back into the game. So we know they’re a tough side and they can run out games as well. It’ll be a very, very good match,” he said.
“I was on the bench and didn’t play (in the final), but it’s a big deal and it’s not easy in this competition to make it where we are now, especially because we’re at home.
“We’ve been in the position where no one wanted to know us eight or nine games into the season, so we’re going to enjoy it all.
“But our story is not done yet.”
Adelaide United will face Western Sydney Wanderers in the 2016 Hyundai A-League Grand Final on Sunday, 1 May at Adelaide Oval. Kick-off is at 3.30pm ACST.
