Adelaide United youngster Mark Ochieng is hoping to build on from his mesmerising cameo appearance, after his late winner secured a dramatic come-from-behind 2-1 win over Melbourne City at Coopers Stadium.
Dylan McGowan cancelled out Bruno Fornaroli’s opener, before super-sub Ochieng completed a swift counter-attacking move, clinically dispatching his shot into the top corner on 87 minutes.
Ochieng’s strike, which was his first ever Hyundai A-League goal, was delighted to have found the back-of-the-net and ensure the three points would remain in Adelaide.
“I don’t know what happened really it was all so quick, Sergi (Guardiola) played a brilliant ball to me,” Ochieng said.
“I got a good first touch on it and picked my spot and the finish came through, so I was very happy with that.
“It was my first goal for the Club, I was very happy with myself and I was happy to make an impact and get the win for the team.”
Ochieng admitted it would be difficult to break into the starting XI, but revealed Head Coach, Guillermo Amor, imparted some words of encouragement follow his sublime impact.
“It’s just all a patience game, the boys in my position have been playing well,” Ochieng said.
“I’ve got Tarek (Elrich), I’ve got (Michael) Marrone who are experienced players, so it’s just all about being patient and keep working hard.
“He (Amor) just keeps on telling me to push and keep working hard because it’s only one step forward, so from here on you can go one step back.
“But he told me to keep on working and pushing for a starting spot.”
The 20-year-old then turned the attention to the Reds’ intriguing Round 16 clash with ladder leaders Sydney FC, and stated building momentum is now crucial moving forward.
“Sydney FC are a very good side, they’ve got a lot of depth,” Ochieng continued. “If we keep on pushing and working hard, we’ve been playing some good football.
“So hopefully we keep pushing on from this win on to next week against Sydney FC and hopefully we can get the win.”
Adelaide United will face Sydney FC in Round 16 of the Hyundai A-League 2016/17 season on Friday, 20 January at Allianz Stadium. Kick-off is at 7.20pm ACDT.
