Adelaide United sends menacing message after dominant scoring display against Central Coast
It was the devastating 19-minute spell that encapsulated Adelaide United’s rich attacking potential. Now, winger Ben Halloran says the Reds’ blistering Mariners blast has put A-League rivals on notice.
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Lightning breaks, incisive passing, devastating finishing.
If ever a 19-minute spell encapsulated a team’s rich attacking potential, this was it.
Adelaide United went from an early goal down to a matchwinning 3-1 lead, thanks to a blistering first-half blast against Central Coast Mariners in Gosford on Saturday.
Quick ball movement and seamless link-up play fuelled a stunning hat-trick of sweeping moves, which set up the club’s fourth-straight victory in all competitions.
Winger Ben Halloran, who scored the Reds’ opener and teed up Kristian Opseth for his side’s third in an impressive display, said it sounded an ominous warning to A-League rivals.
“When we are on, we’re pretty hard to stop,” Halloran, 27, said.
“We have quick players and it’s pretty hard (for opponents) to defend against us.
“I’ve got so much quality around me.
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“They’re all very creative players and we’re all on the same page at the moment.
“When we’re bouncing it around, we’re one of the best teams in the competition.
“We can’t get ahead of ourselves, but it’s important that we ride this wave of momentum and keep winning.”
Halloran smashed in his first league goal of the campaign after being fed intelligently by wide man Michael Maria and exchanging a slick one-two with Riley McGree.
Curacao international Maria was at it again soon after, when his jinking run and pinpoint cutback was expertly volleyed home by Nikola Mileusnic.
Halloran then used his searing pace to expose the hosts on the right, before squaring for Norwegian hitman Opseth to grab his maiden Reds goal.
The scoring-spree was reminiscent of United’s 26-minute burst in last month’s FFA Cup final, when three similarly eye-catching strikes ended Melbourne City’s challenge.
But six-cap Socceroo Halloran said Adelaide’s inability to bury the Mariners, having earlier fallen behind for the fourth time in five matches, highlighted areas requiring work.
“It was a bit sloppy by our standards,” said Halloran, who watched on as Opseth had a 58th-minute penalty saved by ex-Reds goalkeeper Mark Birighitti.
“We know we can fight back when we go a goal down, but you can’t do that every game of the season.
“We were really waiting for that fourth goal (in the second half) to completely kill the game off, but unfortunately we didn’t get it so they were always in with a sniff.
“We need to improve these 20-minute spells where we blow teams off the park to 70 or 80 minutes, so we can dominate the whole game.”
Captain Michael Jakobsen aggravated his ongoing back problem and was substituted after halftime, while winger Mileusnic also came off having jarred his knee.
Halloran said both were withdrawn as precautionary measures and expected the duo to be fit for Saturday’s visit of traditional rival Melbourne Victory and return of ex-coach Marco Kurz.
The Queenslander said there would be no let up from Dutch boss Gertjan Verbeek this week, as the Reds edged closer to his vision.
“The training we do on the paddock is pretty gruelling,” said Halloran, in his second Adelaide season following six years in Germany and Japan.
“We’ve definitely worked very, very hard.
“But he (Verbeek) is a seasoned coach so he knows how to get the best out of players and when to take the foot off the gas as well.
“He definitely hands out the praise when we need it, but at the same time he’s always demanding more and makes sure that we don't get ahead of ourselves and look too far ahead.”