Craig Goodwin says belief is still flowing throughout the Adelaide United squad despite the current poor run of form the team is battling through.
This Sunday, Adelaide United and the Adelaide United Women will both be gearing up to play the Newcastle Jets at Coopers Stadium in a special double-header of football.
Ahead of the Hyundai A-League 2015/16 Round 7 match between United and the Jets, versatile winger, Craig Goodwin, has said he and his teammates still believe in their ability to get a result this week.
And whilst the Reds are coming up against one of the competition’s surprise packages, Goodwin says Untied are overdue in putting the mistakes that have cost them games already this season, to bed.
“We have to look at our mistakes then look at ourselves and ask if we’re giving 100 per cent,” Goodwin said.
“We believe in what we’re doing and there have been mistakes that have been made, but the belief is there and we know that we’re a good team.
“We have great players in our side and we can win games. We just have to get back a bit more confidence and get a result this week and push on from there.
“We know what the Jets are like and they’ve obviously recruited some good players. They’ll be another tough game for us, but being at home and in front of our home crowd, we should be getting the three points.
“We’re just focussing on ourselves, though, and we’re in a situation where we have to be switched on all the time, doing our job in every moment in the match.”
The last time the two sides met at Coopers Stadium, United ran out 7-0 winners and with the hosts expected to welcome back club Captain, Eugene Galekovic, the Reds’ morale looks set to receive a much needed lift at a very crucial time.
“It’ll be a big boost for us (to have Eugene back) because he’s been out since the start of the season,” Goodwin explained.
“He’s very solid at the back and he’s a player that can really win us points. We’ll need that this week and everyone has so much confidence in Eugene because he’s our Captain for a reason.
“That’s not to take anything away from John Hall because he’s done a fantastic job and has been really good coming in (for Galekovic.
“We’ve been working on tightening up at the back and our defensive structure too. But it’s hard to say what’s been the issue that we’ve had.”
Speaking on the team’s winless start to the campaign so far, Goodwin said: “You often find that through hard times and when you go without a win for a while that the spirit of the players is more driven because we hate losing.
“We’re professionals and we want to win. I think you can see there’s been a bit of a lift in the attitude of the boys just to try and get us out of this rut because there’s always only one goal for us and that’s to win every game.”
With the Lady Reds also preparing for a tough encounter against Newcastle, their Captain, Marijana Rajcic, said her side is buzzing with anticipation at the opportunity to play at Coopers, hoping both sides can get results against their east-coast opponents.
“It’s a big game this weekend, not just for us, but for women’s football in general,” Rajcic said.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a double-header and to get the exposure that comes with it is great.
“The girls are really looking forward to it and to get to play (at Coopers) is always a privilege, so we can’t wait to get out there.
“It would be great for us to both get the win on the weekend, especially for the fans so hopefully they can come out earlier and support both sides.”
Gates at Coopers Stadium will open at 1:30 pm ahead of the Lady Reds’ clash with Jets before the Hyundai A-League match between United and Newcastle kicks off at 4:30 pm. Adelaide United members will have access to both matches.
