Adelaide United defender, Jordan Elsey, says he was simply doing his job when he made a sliding goal-line clearance to deny Steven Lustica from opening the scoring in their 1-1 draw against Western Sydney Wanderers on Wednesday.
As the ball fell to Lustica after Oriol Riera had smacked the crossbar, the young defender reacted instinctively to slide across and emphatically deny the ex-Reds midfielder.
Elsey admits he did not think twice about making the split-second decision.
“I guess it was just my job to do that,” he said.
“I wasn’t really thinking I knew just to block the goal because (Daniel) Margush was out of the goal.
“So I couldn’t use my hands and had to use my feet, instinct just kicks in.”
Talk us through this clearance @JordanElsey1 ? #AUFC #WSWvADL
? @FOXFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/j1gVvRzVq1
— Adelaide United FC (@AdelaideUnited) January 10, 2018
The 23-year-old also praised Apostolos Stamatelopoulos for his timely equaliser and maiden goal for the Club in just his fourth appearance.
“He’s been working hard from pre-season and it just shows we have good depth,” he said.
“And he stepped up when he was needed, there’s a few young boys now that have stepped up throughout the season and I think we have a good squad.”
Furthermore, Elsey hailed the team’s character and belief to again get themselves back into matches late on when trailing.
“We have shown that throughout the year, it’s happened two or three times now that we have come back late,” he said.
“As I have said before it’s been instilled into us by Marco (Kurz) from day one of pre-season to never stop working hard and always know that we are going to score.”
Great finish, great celebration! A crucial point on the road. Congrats again @ApostolosStama! ? #AUFC #WSWvADL
? @FOXFOOTBALL pic.twitter.com/aH9NK7ZU7C
— Adelaide United FC (@AdelaideUnited) January 10, 2018
The Reds must now quickly recuperate and prepare for their next opponent, ladder leaders Sydney FC at Coopers Stadium on Sunday night.
Elsey said he and his teammates are embracing the challenge and eying the three points.
“We want to play against Sydney FC every week,” he continued.
“We want to test ourselves against the best team in the league.
“So we are looking to do that, it’s not going to be easy we respect them, they’re a great team and we are looking forward to the challenge on Sunday.”
Adelaide United host Sydney FC in Round 16 of the Hyundai A-League 2017/18 season on Sunday, 14 January at Coopers Stadium. Kick-off is at 6.30pm ACDT.
