Carl Veart praised the fighting spirit that has been repeatedly on display this season after yet another dramatic win.
The Reds secured just its third win at home this season after Mohamed Toure’s expertly guided 88th minute flick off Craig Goodwin’s stunning cross snuck into the bottom corner.
Veart was delighted his side came away with a third victory in succession without being at their optimal level.
“Very happy to get our third win in a row,” Veart told reporters in the post-match press conference.
“Tonight, I don’t think we were at our best, but in saying that the boys stayed in the game and kept fighting and got the win.
“In the last five, 10 minutes I could sense if there was going to be a winner we were going to get it.”
George Blackwood bagged his third league goal of the season from close range in the third minute after Goodwin’s exquisite pass through traffic picked out the forward.
Veart suggested the early goal saw Adelaide’s intensity abate which enabled Newcastle to dominate the majority of the second-half and grab a deserved equaliser.
“I don’t know how to say this but maybe we scored too early in that first-half,” he explained.
“And we sort of then relaxed a little bit too much, and second-half we knew Newcastle were going to come at us tonight, because they need to start picking up points.
“We knew it was a tough game. They’re a good side, they’ve got some really good players and they made it very difficult for us and we couldn’t really get our clean passing game going.”
Following its 10th goal after 84 minutes this season, Adelaide is provisionally back in third place with 27 points.
United has a favourable run home with six of its remaining nine matches at Coopers Stadium, starting with Western Sydney Wanderers on Wednesday night.
Veart believes his team is building momentum nicely approaching the business end of the campaign.
“The boys are very confident and wins breed confidence,” he said.
“That’s three in a row now and the boys have a lot of belief and they keep fighting and that showed again tonight.
“… Ten late goals so it’s a bit of a habit, so that excellent and it’s a credit to the playing squad to keep fighting.”
Toure’s finish was the 17-year-old’s third goal this season and Veart lauded his impact and undeniable potential.
He showed great instincts to beat the goalkeeper from punching the ball away.
“He’s still learning his craft,” Veart said.
“He gets disappointed at times and he sort of allows that to affect him a little bit.
“But he’s a great kit, and he has a lot of potential and a lot of upside.
“I think all the boys know how much of a special spot he has for me. Again it’s fantastic that it’s his second goal in two games and he’ll keep building on that and he’s just a great kid.”
