The Adelaide United Youth Team has continued its winning streak to three, after defeating the Adelaide Hills 6-2 on Saturday afternoon at the Elite Systems Football Centre.
The Adelaide Hills took a deserved 2-1 lead into the halftime interval courtesy of Leo Angove and Daniel Pauli, however the Young Reds rallied back in the second half and managed to score 5 goals to seal victory.
In wet and windy conditions both teams started the match quite similar, pressing each other high with a firm want for the control of the ball.
The Hawks found rhythm early on which lead to their opener just on the tenth minute mark. A beautifully weighted ball skidded of the turf, which saw keeper Alex Woodlands come out forcing a collision with striker Charlie Bowman allowing Leo Angove to take the ball and finish into an open goal.
This sprung the Young Reds into life and they tried to utilise their speed on the counterattack to get in behind the Hawks defence from the flanks. But neat cover from the Hawks wingbacks dealt with the majority of the threats.
The Young Reds tried numerous chances from outside the box as Dylan Smith and Riley McGree had their chances palmed away by keeper Connor Hudson.
Adelaide’s strong endeavour and hunger for a goal paid off in the 37th minute, as a delightful ball from defender Ben Warland found winger Dylan Smith, who cut in and rocketed a shot against the post allowing captain Adam Piscioneri the easiest of finishes finding the net from two metres out.
With the game deadlocked at 1-1, Adelaide United continued to maintain possession for the rest of the first half, however a sublime counter attack by the Adelaide Hills saw them take a 2-1 lead after a long ball was not dealt with allowing Daniel Pauli to run on and slot the ball home across keeper Alex Woodlands.
Come the second half and the Young Reds found their second goal after just one minute through Dylan Smith. The midfielder was left unmarked in the box and calmly finished the ball from a metre out.
Adelaide United started to look dangerous going forward and three minutes after they had their third of the match. Defender Mark Ochieng found midfielder Thomas Love in the box who flicked it behind, allowing marksman Doni Pollock to strike the ball low hard into the bottom of the net.
As Adelaide gained a 3-2 advantage, confidence began to sky rocket, as their sheer control of the football became frustrating for the Hawks.
In the 57th minute, substitute Yianni Nestoras took on his defender down the right, curling in a low driven cross which saw Dylan Smith hit the ball taking a deflection off the head of Doni Pollock giving the Young Reds a deserved 4-2 lead.
As the rain kept on falling, it only managed to improve the Young Reds as they scored a fifth in the 66th minute. Left sided winger Samed Altundag played in Doni Pollock who calmly slotted the ball home, sealing his hat trick.
As Adelaide kept on pressing in search for more, defender Mark Ochieng decided to make his presence felt, unleashing a 30 yard stunner leaving the United faithful speechless in the 78th minute of play.
The Young Reds dominant second half was enough to secure victory, winning 6-2 against the Hawks putting them one point off league leaders Adelaide Victory.
After the game, Michael Valkanis said although he was happy with the majority of the game, he was disappointed his side conceded two goals in the first half, but highlighted the tremendous effort the team was able to achieve by coming from behind and winning.
“Just the way we came out in the second half concentrating on our style and our football helped us in achieving victory today,” Valkanis explained.
“We had to make some changes after the first half, different personnel and our midfield shape were some of those changes and I think they worked very well.
“Sometimes you need halftime to be able to settle things and I loved the way the boys reacted in that second half, it was excellent.
“As a coach the second half showed how much of a team they are, by moving the ball around and ultimately scoring lots of goals.
“We need to come next week with the same attitude in the two games we play, and hopefully achieve the results that we did today.”
Match Details
Saturday, 30 May 2015
NPL 2015 State League – Round 16
Adelaide United 6 (D.Pollock, D.Smith 2, S.Altundag, A.Piscioneri, M.Ochieng)
Adelaide Hills 2 (L.Angove, D.Pauli)
Venue: Elite Systems Football Centre
