Adelaide United Head Coach Adrian Stenta spoke to United Media ahead of the Ninja A-League Women’s side travelling to Western Sydney for their Round Two Clash.
Stenta on naming an unchanged squad from Round One and the belief of the group following their narrow opening-clash defeat:
“I thought we put in a good performance and were unlucky not to come away with something. But on the flip side, we did concede three goals as well. So, we will try not to do that every week, but we also feel like any of the shortcomings from the match were self-inflicted and correctable. We will keep pushing to try and get that first result.”
Stenta on Ella Tonkin’s first match as Captain:
“Her leadership was great. She was also well supported by Matilda as well. It was great to see a little bit of resilience in the group, which is probably something we lacked a little bit at times last year. So, I’m really happy for Ella, who had a positive game, and the rest of the team that stood-up behind her as well.”
Stenta on Erin Healy’s impressive debut:
“Erin looked really dangerous at the times we were able to get her the ball. She’s a player that can be an attacking threat for us, and we feel really good about our frontline, with players still to come back in. She had a good impact on the game and is settled and doing well in our environment.”
Stenta on rewarding young players with game-time:
“We tried to pick players that were fit and had got through a bit of work in pre-season and were in form, and Sian and Miley were in that category. So, that’s why they were given opportunities to play and that’s what we’re about as a club and as a team. If players are doing well and they’re in-form and they’re performing well, they’ll get opportunities, no matter what their age and experience is.”
Stenta on the upcoming challenge of Western Sydney Wanderers in Round Two:
“They’re a dangerous side; they’ve got some good attacking options that provide a threat, and the Julie Dolan Medallist from last year and top goal scorer as well. So, we know that they’ll be dangerous. They’re at home and it’s always difficult to play away games, so they’ll be up for the challenge. We hope to bring some of our own challenges to them and it should be a good, exciting attacking game. We’re really looking forward to getting over there and having a crack against them.”
