Adelaide United Head Coach Carl Veart spoke to media ahead of Tuesday night’s crucial away clash against Brisbane Roar — the penultimate round of the Isuzu UTE A-League regular season and a must-win for the Reds in the race for Finals Football.
Following a dramatic 3-2 win over Wellington Phoenix last week, United will look to carry that momentum into Brisbane with confidence and belief returning to the squad. Veart discussed the importance of backing up the win, the challenge of a short turnaround, and his side’s focus on securing a Finals berth.
Veart on ending the winless run:
“It’s been a long time since we last won, so it was good to finally get the result. The boys have trained very well the last couple of days. They know what the job is ahead of them.”
Veart on scoring a late winner:
“We’ve dropped a lot of points in the last 10–15 minutes this season, so it was good to get one back. But that’s only the beginning. We still have two more games to go and we’ve got to have the same desperation.”
Veart on the challenge Brisbane presents:
“They’ve played some good football this year. They’re a good passing side, so it’s important we play our brand and stop them from getting on the ball.”
Veart on belief in the squad:
“We’ve let ourselves down in some games, but we’ve also played good football and just not been rewarded. There is resilience in this group and we’ll need to show it again tomorrow night.”
Veart on managing the short turnaround:
“We’ll make a couple of changes, but at the end of the day, we need to win. It’s important we put out our best side to do that.”
Veart on the mood around training:
“Winning gives you that extra pep in your step. The last two days at training have been upbeat. You can see the smiles back on the players’ faces.”
Veart on the Easter Sunday action:
“I watched the first ten minutes of Sydney v Newcastle and then put a movie on. We can’t worry about what other teams do. All we can do is look after ourselves.”
Veart on the Red Army’s support:
“In my whole time here, I’ve had great support from the Red Army and our fans. It’s always nice to be farewelled like that — I try to do my best for this club.”
Veart on finishing the season strong:
“We’ve always believed we’re good enough to be there. Yes, we’ve put ourselves in this position — now it’s up to us to get ourselves out of it.”
Veart on the success of Adelaide United’s Women’s team:
“It’s fantastic what the Women’s side has done this year. I’m looking forward to watching them at Coopers next weekend and hopefully seeing them go all the way to the Grand Final.”
