Adelaide United midfielder Jonny Yull says patience, persistence, and belief are starting to pay off as he continues to enjoy his football and add more influence in the final third.
Yull found the back of the net against Macarthur last weekend – a reward he felt reflected both his individual growth and the team’s strong performance on the night.
“It was obviously good to score,” Yull said. “But I think we deserved to get a little bit more out of that game. Especially in the first half, I felt like we could’ve maybe scored a couple more goals. But that’s football sometimes — you can’t change it.”
Getting on the scoresheet is something the 20-year-old has consciously been working towards, with a clear focus on arriving in the box more often and backing himself when chances come.
“It’s definitely something I’ve been looking to do more,” he said. “I’ve always liked getting forward and scoring goals. This year, I’ve really put it on myself to get into the box more and be more confident in front of goal.”
That confidence has been built through a period of patience earlier in the season, where Yull spent time in and out of the starting side – something he says has helped sharpen his game.
“You always have to be patient,” he said. “I spoke a lot with the coaching staff about what they wanted from me and where I could improve. I took that on, tried to be better in training, and just kept working. You keep learning and keep going.”
Yull also reflected on the now-famous moment against Melbourne Victory where many thought he had scored the winner — before quickly redirecting the praise elsewhere.
“I knew I didn’t score,” he laughed. “Juan put in a great ball, so I just ran straight over to him to give him credit. He’s shown his quality a couple of times now with those deliveries, and it was a great header from Kitto. I felt a bit bad dragging the boys over there, but it was just a misunderstanding.”
Since arriving in Adelaide, Juan Muñiz has quickly become a valuable presence for Yull and the wider group, both on and off the pitch.
“In training and games, you can see his quality straight away,” Yull said. “The passes he plays, the positions he takes up – it’s really good to learn from. He’s already created a lot for us this season, and there’s definitely more to come.”
Looking ahead, Yull is excited by the challenge of facing Newcastle Jets, a young and energetic side that he feels mirrors Adelaide United’s own identity.
“They’re a very good team,” he said. “Very intense, very organised, and they play entertaining football. We’ve played them before and watched them a lot, so it’ll be a good game to be part of.”
With familiar faces returning to Coopers Stadium and a home crowd behind them, Yull believes Adelaide United can continue building momentum.
“Playing at home always gives us that extra motivation,” he said. “We’ll go into the game with confidence, looking to keep doing good things and prove that we can keep pushing forward.”
For Jonny Yull, the message is simple – stay patient, stay confident, and keep contributing. And right now, he’s doing exactly that.
