The Adelaide United Reserves were crowned PlayStation 4 National Premier League Reserves Champions, following an emphatic 3-1 win over MetroStars at The Parks Football Centre on a glorious Sunday afternoon.
A breathtaking season for the Young Reds Reserves had ended on the best possible note, finishing top of the table to become Premiers.
They have now achieved the double, and won the Finals Series convincingly, to top off a magnificent achievement for the Club.
With Aladin Irabona missing out due to suspension, it was up to the likes of Ninko Beric, Peter Katsambis and Charlie Devereux to get the job done.
And they did just that, with Devereux putting away a perfectly calm spot-kick, a thunderous strike from Beric, and a neat tap-in from an anticipating Katsambis.
It was a tight and bustling open 15 minutes, before Matthew Crooks was brought down in the box by Metro ‘keeper, Jackson O’Donnell.
Devereux stepped up to take the penalty, and swiftly struck home, unfazed by the Grand Final pressure.
Katsambis had a good chance before the break, but the score remained 1-0 to Adelaide United at half-time.
Metro came out more determined in the second-half, with two threatening headers that flashed dangerously close of the right post.
It was an even contest up until the 70th minute, where United began to produce daring attack, and string together crisper passes.
Following a deflection by O’Donnell, palmy away Katsambis’ effort, Beric latched on to blast a shot into the bottom-right corner to double the advantage in the 71st minute.
In the 78th minute, Beric then delivered a slicing ball across goal, for Katsambis to neatly tap over the line.
At the death, MetroStars managed to pull one back through Taras Gomulka, but the game was already out of their grasp.
A delighted Paul Pezos was overjoyed with the success, and the growth of his players, after coming in mid-season to take over the side.
“It was a good experience for myself, to come in halfway through the year,” Pezos said.
“And I had to work with players I didn’t know and wasn’t my team that I initially put together.
“But if you believe in yourself and your abilities you look forward to coaching any team,
“It was definitely a challenge, but the boys rose to the occasion, and they have grown from boys to young men.
“Our defending was superb, despite conceding at the end, but the game was in the bag for us.
“The willingness to work together as a team has been phenomenal, being younger players and they became stronger throughout the season, and it showed tonight.”
