Adelaide United Head Coach, Carl Veart, says his side’s match against Cove FC on Tuesday night was the perfect way to commence pre-season 2023/24.
Veart’s Reds ran-out 8-1 winners against their National Premier League opposition, yet, despite the one-sided scoreline, United’s boss was pleased with the intensity of the fixture and how it will benefit his team moving forward.
Veart said:
“I thought it was an excellent first game for us in pre-season.
“The atmosphere from the local supporters was great and to see so many young fans braving the cold was fantastic.
“The result was one-sided, but we managed to get a good level of intensity into our legs, which is what we needed.
“The boys’ fitness when returning for pre-season has been improving each year and that’s down to retaining the majority of our squad at the end of each season.
“Our fitness levels are building and we’re already better than we were last year at the same stage of pre-season, so we need to keep improving and pushing harder.
“Last night (against Cove) we started with a very young attacking front three of Bernardo, Nestory (Irankunda), and Luka (Jovanović) and they all did exceptionally well.
“Bernardo, in particular, showed glimpses of his quality and it’s great to see him coming back after a difficult year last year with injury.
“Nestor also gave a mature performance, which was excellent to see.”
Result:
2023/24 Pre-Season Friendly – Tuesday, 18 July 2023
The Cove FC 1 (unknown)
Adelaide United 8 (Jovanović, Irankunda, Bernardo, Clough, Carocci, Crawford, Porter x 2)
Southern Sports Facility
