Veart hopeful of one more home game with Adelaide
Lee Gagliardi |
Adelaide United coach Carl Veart remains hopeful his side’s last-gasp 3-2 A-League Men win over Wellington Phoenix on Friday night isn’t the last time he coaches the Reds at Coopers Stadium.
The club announced last week Veart would not be at United next season bringing an end to his five-year spell with the Reds, which made him the club’s longest serving head coach.
Panagiotis Kikianis and Stefan Mauk helped Adelaide to a 2-0 lead inside 12 minutes. Kosta Barbarouses and Isaac Hughes brought the Phoenix level just after the half hour, before Archie Goodwin netted the winner in the 89th minute.
The win temporarily lifts the Reds back into the top six, two points clear of Sydney FC, giving Veart hope United can book a finals spot and even score an unlikely home semi-final.
Adelaide travel to Brisbane Roar on Tuesday night before finishing their season on Saturday at Melbourne City.
Veart believes the top five are locked in, with the Reds now battling for sixth with Sydney FC, who face Newcastle, and third and second-placed Western United and Melbourne City in their run home.
“It’s one of those things, you just don’t know,” Veart said.
“I hope it’s not (the last time coaching Adelaide at home); I hope we have a semi-final here, I hope, but time will tell.
“We need to win our next two games, it’s as simple as that. I think it’s most probably just us and Sydney now for that last spot, I think all the other spots are pretty-much taken.
“I suppose we’re in a bit of a shootout now with Sydney for that final spot, but all we can do is focus on ourselves and go to Brisbane Tuesday and pick up three points, and then we have City after that on the Saturday.”
Veart revealed he had preferred any news regarding his future had waited until after the end of the season, contemplating whether the announcement was an additional distraction to the Reds’ tumultuous back half of the season.
After going undefeated for the first eight games, United had been winless in their last eight and shipping goals for fun prior to the victory over Wellington.
With finals football hanging in the balance, Veart was keen for his troops to focus on the task at hand.
“It might have distracted the group a little bit more because they want to do well, not just for themselves, but they have a close connection with me and it’s maybe put a bit more pressure on them to do well,” he said.
“That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t want it to be announced – I just want our boys to be focussed on playing for themselves and for the club and not for anything else.”
AAP
