Adelaide United winger Ryan Kitto has declared the Reds’ are desperate to return to winning ways when the Club face the Newcastle Jets in Round 11 of the Hyundai A-League 2016/17 season at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday.
The Reds will be hoping to avenge their disappointing defeat last week, as they attempt to resurrect their stuttering season.
The last time these two sides encountered saw Reds’ midfielder Jesse Makarounas net the equaliser in a 1-1 away draw on the opening round of the season.
As alluded to, Adelaide suffered a 4-0 loss at the hands of the Roar at Suncorp Stadium in Round 10, while the Jets secured their first win in Western Australia since 2005 to beat Perth Glory 2-1.
Kitto admitted United are “hungry” for the three points and said the team will be ready for the challenges the Novocastrian outfit pose.
“Obviously we’re hungry after last week’s result (against Brisbane), but the best thing in football is that we’ve had a short turnaround,” Kitto said.
“We’ve addressed a few things this week and we’ll be ready to go come Friday night against Newcastle.
“They (the Jets) played really well last week (versus Perth Glory) so we’ve got to be prepared for them.
“And we know they’re going to give 100 per cent and they won’t give up, so it’ll be a good game.”
Kitto insists morale is high within the dressing room, with the squad firmly believing their season is still alive.
“We’re all still very positive and we all still believe, we know we have the players and we’re continually getting players back,” Kitto said.
“Obviously Sergio Cirio now and others coming back into the squad soon and we’re only going to get stronger, so we’re feeling confident and very optimistic.”
Adelaide are unbeaten in their previous six fixtures against the Jets recording three wins and three draws and have impressively kept a clean sheet in five of those matches.
However, it is anticipated to be a tight contest if history is anything to go by. In the past four games, there have been only three goals scored between the Reds and Newcastle, all of which incidentally arrived in the first-half.
The 22-year-old, who has been a regular in the starting XI under Head Coach, Guillermo Amor, this campaign, further reflected on his own performances after the first 10 matches.
“It’s been good to get some game time and that’s the best way to improve,” Kitto continued.
“I think I’ve been inconsistent at times, but I’m continually learning off the senior players and the coaches and hopefully I’ll only get better.”
Adelaide United will face Newcastle Jets in Round 11 of the Hyundai A-League 2016/17 season on Friday, 16 December at McDonald Jones Stadium. Kick-off is at 7.20pm ACDT.
