George Blackwood believes it was encouraging Adelaide United convincingly came out on top despite sustaining spells of pressure in their 3-0 win over Melbourne Victory in the Westfield 2017 FFA Cup last 16.
Blackwood held his nerve to calmly slot a penalty, sending Lawrence Thomas the wrong way and giving Adelaide a crucial 2-0 lead midway during the second-half at Marden Sports Complex on Wednesday night.
Johan Absalonsen and Nathan Konstandopoulos also etched their names on the scoresheet, both scoring sumptuous strikes in the resounding triumph.
Blackwood admitted it was comforting to score his first goal for the Club in only his second competitive match since joining from Sydney FC.
“It was awesome to get off the mark,” he said.
“Getting a goal early is always good and I think just as a team we played really well especially in the second-half.
“I thought we outran them and we outplayed them in the second-half and we had a bit of a tough spell in the first-half.
“And I think showing we can get through a spell like that and then come out on top in the end convincingly was positive.”
Blackwood revealed he never doubted himself before dispatching his spot-kick and was aware of the importance of handing Adelaide a two-goal buffer.
“I was confident of scoring,” he said.
“I really wanted to take the penalty and I was just focusing on making sure not to change my mind at the last minute.
“I knew it was an important goal, if we didn’t score that maybe they would’ve got a little bit of momentum.
“But it was good to get the goal and push on from there I thought we kept playing well after that stage as well.”
The Reds were on the back foot at times during the first-half as they defended deep and struggled to retain possession of the ball.
However, in the second-half the whole complexion of the game changed entirely.
“Not much was said at half-time,” Blackwood said.
“I think in the first-half maybe we were a little bit nervy the first 15 to 20 minutes.
“We were playing a lot of long balls and there was a lot of fighting up front and trying to get hold of the ball.
“I think in the second-half we were a bit more composed at the back and then Taylor (Regan) and (Jordan) Elsey really started to come into their element building up from the back.
“Isa (Isaías) got into the game a little bit more and then from there one thing led to another.
“And us front three got on the ball a little bit more in the second-half as well and had a bit of space so it just opened up and we were able to create.”
Blackwood also said he really enjoyed the atmosphere generated in the boutique surroundings at Marden.
“The place felt like it was bouncing being out there,” he said.
“It was awesome to see all the fans come out and even a bit of Victory supporters it’s always good to see travelling fans coming and adding a bit of an atmosphere to the game.
“So I think in the second-half especially we all just fed off that… And in the end we got a very good result.”
