When Serge Melta came in as the Reds’ Assistant Coach, there is little chance he thought he would be pulling the strings on the bench in just his second game.
When Serge Melta came in as the Reds- Assistant Coach, there is little chance he thought he would be pulling the strings on the bench in just his second game.
Interim coach Michael Valkanis- one match suspension after he was sent to the stands against Melbourne Victory last Friday night has meant Melta will take charge on match day and be the one calling the shots against Sydney FC.
The former Socceroo, who used to be a hairdresser but now runs a line marking business, has been thrust onto the Hyundai A-League stage at Allianz Stadium to try and guide the Reds to victory in the harbour city.
It is a far cry from coaching local club Birkalla in Adelaide-s Super League competition last year, but with a UEFA ‘A- Coaching licence on his CV, he is confident he will not be overawed by the task.
“It-s something unexpected but I-ve done coaching badges overseas so I think it has kept me in good stead for this challenge,” Melta said.
“I-ll be working mainly off Michael-s instructions. We-ll do all of our homework prior to the game, so really my job is probably just to organise things from the bench.”
“What we-re going to do tactically with the players should all be done before that so we-ll have a good chat to them before the game and then it-s really up to them.”
The club chose Melta to take on the role formerly held by Valkanis under former Coach John Kosmina.
“I know a few people in the United backroom and they know my character, so they had a look at who was available and I was lucky enough to be the one,” Melta said.
