Sydney FC striker Milos Ninkovic hopes City draw can kickstart his season

SYDNEY FC’s Serbian striker Milos Ninkovic hopes his brace against Melbourne City can kickstart his season with the Sky Blues.

HIS brace against Melbourne City has given Milos Ninkovic a boost of confidence and the Serbian is determined to continue in the same vein of form.

Sydney FC came away with a point in the 2-2 draw in Melbourne, though it was a game they could have won. Still, Ninkovic says the signs are good going forward.

“It was good. I’m really happy because for me it was really good,” Ninkovic said.

“A new year and I think we played much, much better than Melbourne City. We take only one point, but I think we could have taken all three points. One point is not so bad, it’s better than zero, but of course we’re disappointed. We’re moving forward every week.”

The 31-year-old is feeling far more settled at the halfway mark of his first season and admits getting on the score sheet is a huge help.

“I feel good — much better now than I did for the first six or seven games,” he said. “For my confidence it’s good, I need to continue like this and also the team needs to continue like this.”

Sky Blues coach Graham Arnold says his team threw away two points by not taking their chances, but he was pleased with Ninkovic’s contribution and believes there is plenty more to come from him.

“Ninkovic is starting to find his feet and you saw what he did,” Arnold said. “I’ve had to change the system to get the best out of him. The first few games I had to play him on the left side — he had effect on the game, but he didn’t have a huge effect on the game like he can at No.10 where he can move where he wants. I think he will get better and better.”

Graham Arnold believes Ninkovic is only now adjusting to the A-League.

With the transfer window now open, Arnold has the opportunity to boost his squad. He made excellent use of it last season, but has downplayed expectations this time around.

“At the moment we’ve got five foreigners and we’ve only got one spot open. We’ve got a little bit left in the cap, but nothing spectacular,” he said.

“You start the season, you recruit the squad at the start, you play half before the transfer window opens and it’s about players performing. If they don’t or they’re not happy it gives them the opportunity if they want to move on or if I want them to move on.”

Next up for the Sky Blues is a ‘‘home’’ game against Newcastle Jets at ANZ Stadium.

Arnold confirmed Ali Abbas was in line for a return after recovering from a serious injury, while Ninkovic is looking forward to playing at the venue.

“I’ve never played at that stadium — Milos (Dimitrijevic) told me it’s a very big stadium,” Ninkovic said.

Originally published as Sydney FC striker Milos Ninkovic hopes City draw can kickstart his season