James Troisi revealed he was delighted to make his Adelaide United debut after impressing in the Reds’ resilient 2-1 win against Newcastle Jets on Saturday.
The midfielder played the entire 90 minutes and assisted the first of Riley McGree’s two goals as Adelaide registered their maiden victory of the Hyundai A-League season.
“It’s fantastic to be back on the pitch,” Troisi told Fox Sports, after playing his first competitive game since the end of last season.
“I haven’t played since May, so happy to be back. Obviously a tough 90 minutes in some tough conditions and it’s been a tough week.
“But extremely positive and happy that we got the win.”
Adelaide made a sluggish start to the game following their FFA Cup Final 2019 triumph on Wednesday night and lacked structure at times.
Newcastle dominated the first-half and took the lead through Abdiel Arroyo’s stunning volley from a long throw.
Off the mark the in Hyundai A-League!
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— Adelaide United (@AdelaideUnited) October 26, 2019
The 31-year-old revealed Gertjan Verbeek made some tactical adjustments at the break, and also introduced Nikola Mileusnić and Michaël Maria to the fray.
The Dutchman was vindicated as the deficit was extinguished by the 61st minute thanks to McGree’s brace, as Adelaide showed no signs of a cup hangover.
“It was pretty open in the first-half so there was a lot of space,” he said.
“He tweaked a few things at half-time and it showed. We were more compact, better quality on the ball and had some good chances.”
After three matches in a week, the Reds now have the chance to recuperate with a bye next week.
Troisi felt the week off has come at an ideal time with players also set to come back from injury.
“You want consistency but I guess with the week we’ve had I think it will be good to get the boys to freshen up a bit,” he continued.
“And then we have a home game against Brisbane, so I think it’s come at a good time.”
Adelaide United host Brisbane Roar in Round 5 of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 season on Sunday, 10 November at Coopers Stadium. Kick-off is at 5.30pm ACDT. Gates open at 2.30pm for curtain raiser between AUFC Legends and ADF. Live and Exclusive on Fox Sports, Kayo Sports and the My Football Live App.
