Coming off the back of their biggest scalp of the season, Adelaide United Youth face Adelaide Comets on Saturday as they remain in the hunt for a top-six berth.
The Young Reds came from a goal down to beat ladder leaders Campbelltown City 2-1 in Round 18, and have suffered a solitary defeat in their past seven outings.
“It was a very big win, considering that they’re a great team and move the ball around,” Alhassan Toure said upon reflection, after scoring a stunning 85th minute winner.
“At the start of the game they were pressing us and keeping the ball and making us run.
“But we were able to stick together and play as a team and by the second-half we were able to dominate them.”
And while United Youth can take confidence from that game, Toure said they face another tricky test against a Comets side that is unbeaten in four matches.
The winger admitted playing on a smaller pitch that is SA Athletics Stadium will take some adjusting to.
“Santos (SA Athletics Stadium) is a small pitch so there’ll be a lot of high intensity efforts during the game because the ball is always in your half,” he said.
“Comets is a good side but we’ve also beaten other good sides so it’s not really a challenge for us but just another stepping stone to get into the top six.”
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Toure also believes quick passes in attack will be the antidote to overcoming a resolute Comets defence that has kept three-straight clean sheets.
“I think fast passing and I think that will be the key to break down the defence,” he said.
“We’re going to use our speed up front and with a big striker up top, Kusini (Yengi), to hold the ball up and just feed it out to the wingers and we’ll do our thing from there.”
The 19-year-old has found the back of the net in three consecutive weeks to take his season tally to four goals in 14 games, and as a result has been training with the first team during pre-season.
He said the key to his impressive form was due to the confidence imparted to him by the coaching staff and support from his teammates.
Toure further added that he hoped his strong performances would help lead to a finals appearance and earning a contract with the Hyundai A-League squad.
“Confidence comes from the team and the coaches… And the team gets behind you and once you score and just continue to score like that it’s just a mental thing,” he explained.
“… Scoring more goals and getting more people to see my performances and making sure that we make the top six. And It’s a team effort at the end of the day. It wouldn’t be done without the team.”
Adelaide United Youth face Adelaide Comets in Round 19 of the National Premier League 2019 season on Saturday, 27 July at SA Athletics Stadium. Kick-off is at 3.00 PM. Reserves kick-off at 12.45pm.
