Adrian Stenta spoke to the media after Adelaide United’s 3-1 win over Brisbane Roar at Coopers Stadium, a result that secured a home final in the upcoming Finals Series.
A second-half brace from Fiona Worts and a late penalty from Chelsie Dawber sealed a hard-fought win in front of over 3,300 vocal fans, continuing the Reds’ incredible run of form.
Stenta on the crowd and local football community…
“The atmosphere at Coopers is the best in the country. We’ve been out at clubs this week visiting juniors and seniors across the WNPL and WSL. We’d love to see those future stars in the stands supporting us—it really lifts us to another level.”
Stenta on the team’s resilience and winning mentality…
“They keep finding ways to win. They’re showing a lot of resilience. I think it’s maybe one loss now in our last maybe 13 games, or something like that. So you don’t go on those kind of runs and have those kind of results without a bit of character.”
Stenta on rewarding the fans with a win…
“We were hopeful that a few people would turn up and watch us in the stand-alone game, because if they continue to support us, we’ll continue to play more matches here. The fact that they were so vocal, especially in the second half, was fantastic.”
Stenta on the performance and entertainment factor…
“We hope that regardless of the result, the way we try and play our football will be entertaining enough. At times we were good today, and at times we weren’t at the level we’d like—but this team is worth watching and has the potential to create something special for the club and the city.”
Stenta on squad depth and the impact of substitutes…
“Having players like Erin and Fiona with that much quality coming off the bench— they did their job. They changed the game for us. The real strength of this group is the players who aren’t even in the Match Day squad but bring quality and energy every week.”
Stenta on playing finals-bound teams late in the season…
“Some coaches might look at the last five or six games and see it as daunting, but I just see it as perfect preparation for the finals. We get a chance to go up against these top sides every week leading in, and it’ll really show us where we’re at.”
Stenta on the return of Izzy Hodgson…
“I’m really happy for Izzy. She’s our captain. She’s been fantastic all year off the pitch. It’s been really challenging for her, but she’s getting some reward for the hard work. It’s great to have her around the group and be able to play as well.”
