Adelaide United entered the final round of the 2025 NPL SA regular season with a visit to Smith Partners Stadium to take on Modbury Jets as the league ladder took its final shape.
Modbury dominate in a last push for survival
While Adelaide United entered their clash with Modbury in control of their finals series destiny, the equation for the Jets’ NPL survival was as simple as it was delicate. Maurice Natale’s side required three points against their visitors while hoping for a Para Hills Knights loss at the expense of the league-leading MetroStars.
Modbury wasted no time taking care of their side of the bargain, earning a penalty with the first attack of the game after the Young Reds failed to clear the ball from the area, with captain Jesse Francesca making no mistake from the spot. Multiple strong challenges were proof of the home side’s determination to earn the three points, but it was Hamish McCabe who stole the headlines in the last minute of the first half, meeting the bouncing ball sweetly on a volley to double his side’s lead.
It did not get any better for Adelaide United after the break when Liam McCabe joined his brother, Hamish, on the scoreboard just after the hour mark. At that point, the desperation had washed away from the mind of the hosts, who were playing confident football, buoyed by the positive news from The Paddocks of MetroStars’ two-goal lead, and piled on the hurt with two further goals from Hamish McCabe and Francesco Schimizzi to round off a thumping victory.
Caption: Liam McCabe scored one of Modbury’s five goals against Adelaide United (Image: Pagonis Photography)
Dejection is the word of the day
Adelaide United left the field on Friday night with their poor form continuing after another heavy loss. While results went their way elsewhere, which secured their position in the top six, the Young Reds had little else to smile about after a tough day at the office. It was a much more complicated story for Modbury.
The Jets gave their survival chances a shot in the arm after a convincing victory over rivals Playford in Round 21, and that strong form continued in the competition’s last round. Despite scoring nine goals in two games, Modbury’s final position was controlled by the fate of Para Hills, who found themselves two goals down entering injury time in their own game.
Simultaneous kick-offs meant that the fans at Smith Partners Stadium went from a celebratory mood to one of slight concern when Keshav Shresha pulled a goal back against MetroStars in the 92nd minute. Soon after, the Jets were well and truly grounded, ironically in the moment of their fifth goal.
While the Modbury players celebrated Francesco Schimizzi’s goal, the crowd’s cheers hushed as Gloire Amanda did the improbable, drawing Para Hills level at the Paddocks almost simultaneously, with the Jets players receiving the thumbs down from the crowd when returning to their positions, a feeling that did not change as their time in the NPL came to an end with their relegation tragically confirmed in the dying moments of the season.
Caption: Despite the one-sided result, neither team left Smith Partners Stadium satisfied (Image: Pagonis Photography)
Final football confirmed despite stumbles
While Round 22’s simultaneous kick-offs can create the drama that Modbury and Para Hills experienced on Friday night, they can also act as a safety net and reassurance for other clubs. Fortunately for Adelaide United, results meant their position in the top six was never under serious threat, despite the compromising position they placed themselves in.
The Young Reds will appear in the finals series for a fourth consecutive season, but they have a few factors working against them. Before looking at next week, one cannot ignore Adelaide United’s form, with Elvis Markov’s side having scored just two goals, while conceding a whopping 12 in their last five halves of football.
Adelaide United will be taking on FK Beograd at Frank Mitchell Park, a ground with a rough surface that has not been a happy hunting ground for the Young Reds in recent times. The quality is there for Adelaide United to flick the switch, but a few things will have to go right to claim their second win of the season by downing Adrian D’Aloia’s Beograd side, who are preparing for their first NPL finals series appearance in 21 years.
Caption: The Young Reds will return to Frank Mitchell Park in the final series, the scene of a disappointing defeat earlier in the season (Image: Pagonis Photography)
Full Time
Modbury Jets 5 (Francesca, H. McCabe x2, L. McCabe, Schimizzi)
Adelaide United 0
