The Adelaide United Youth Team will host the Adelaide Blue Eagles in Round 1 of the 2016 National Premier League season this Sunday at the Elite Systems Football Centre.
The Young Reds will embark on their first National Premier League (NPL) season, and with a talented side, there is confidence that the squad can remain disciplined and focus on playing to their strengths in what will be a tough competition.
The Young Reds’ Head Coach, Mark Jones, said the team has been working hard in preparation for the competition, emphasising that it will be good to see where his team stands in comparison to the other teams in the league.
“It will be good to see how we compare with the other teams and their players,” Jones said. “We can do well in this first game and use it to become stronger for the rest of the season.
“The first game will also give us an indication of just how well we will compete in the competition and the areas we need to work on.
“The NPL will be intense, but we played some trial games in preparation which brought a lot of confidence and the players have been working hard.
“We won’t know exactly how we’ll go until the day against Blue Eagles, and sometimes that is what football is about, but the confidence and positive mentality is there.”
In looking at the opposition, Jones knows that it will be a challenge as the Blue Eagles are one of the strongest clubs in South Australia and his side will need to bring their best to compete against them.
“I have seen a few South Australian teams, and I know that they are very strong,” he continued. “Blue Eagles will be a good first opposition to play against.
“The team has been working technically, especially in the areas of keeping possession and playing under pressure, which will help us significantly.
“We have been training to become defensively sound, and to try to not concede many goals, as the less goals we let in it will help us go further, as well as being strong attacking wise.
“The talent in our squad is fantastic and they will step up in this league and I believe further into the Hyundai A-League and so on. The NPL is a great stepping-stone and it will bring a good incentive for them to step up in this first game.”
Adelaide United will kick-off their NPL Premier League season against Adelaide Blue Eagles on Sunday, 28 February at the Elite Systems Football Centre. Kick-off is at 5.00pm.
