Adelaide United Youth defender, Cooper Nunn, believes the team’s improved defensive displays means they are close to snapping a six-game winless streak.
After losing four consecutive matches, the Young Reds have since recorded 1-1 draws against Adelaide Olympic and MetroStars respectively.
Nunn felt players from the NPL Reserves have adapted seamlessly to the team and have helped re-establish that continuity in the squad.
That stability was previously sometimes difficult to maintain, given the personnel was changing week to week with the contracted Hyundai A-League players jumping between the Youth Team and the senior side.
“I think the boys are coming together really well,” he stated.
“I think we’re playing really good football as a team.
“It’s a lot more of a team game and we’re encouraging each other a lot more and using each other to our abilities.
“And I think we’re all training together all the time and we’re together and used to each other which is good and that’s key.
“It was hard with some of the A-League boys coming up and down and training with us it was a bit hard, but with everyone training together I think it’s been really good.
“We’ve had some really great games but just unfortunate not to get a result out of them.”
Another reason behind their improvement has been their resoluteness as a unit and particularly in defence.
“I think the boys have really lifted especially in the defensive half,” he said.
“We’ve been looking really solid and together and I think going from conceding as many as we were, to conceding a penalty… I think our defensive game has been really solid and I’m really happy about it.”
The Young Reds host relegation-threatened Adelaide City at the VALO Football Centre on Saturday, and Nunn knows just how crucial three points are at this stage of the campaign.
City lie in eleventh place and have also drawn their past two matches and will be desperate for a win to try and climb out of the drop zone.
“Every game is an important game especially from this part of the season on,” he said.
“It’s turning into a lot more of a desperate game and we need to win as many as we can in the last few games.
“I I think going into the Adelaide City game if we play the game we’ve been playing, especially keeping our defensive half solid, I think the boys can easily get a win out of it and it just comes down to mentality and how we play on the day.”
Adelaide United Youth face Adelaide City in Round 14 of the National Premier League 2019 season on Saturday, 15 June at VALO Football Centre – The Parks. Kick-off is at 3.00 PM. Reserves kick-off at 12.45pm.
