Adelaide rescues a point
An injury-time goal from Mathew Leckie has helped Adelaide United salvage a 1-1 draw against an undermanned Gold Coast United at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday.
Kristian Rees received a red card in the first half and a 10-man Gold Coast was under siege heading into the break. But the visitors rallied and scored in the 64th minute when Steve Fitzsimmons nodded home a well-weighted Zenon Caravella cross.
The Reds had a raft of opportunities and were visibly frustrated with their position as the minutes ticked away. However, just when all looked lost, Leckie weaved his through heavy traffic to score the equaliser with a low ball into the left hand corner of the net.
While the Coast is third and the Reds are eighth, it will be the home side which will be more disappointed with the draw after receiving little reward for an exciting opening.
Adelaide United coach Aurelio Vidmar felt his side deserved the three points despite conceding the first goal of the match.
"I thought our first half was excellent, the movement off the ball, the movement right throughout the team, everyone was really committed and I felt really sorry for the boys tonight, very sorry for them," he said.
"I thought there were a lot of positives out of tonight and I think a performance like that, although we didn't get the three points, certainly there's a lot to draw from for the rest of the season."
Gold Coast United coach Miron Bleiberg had mixed feelings about the draw.
"After the send-off happened I would've been happy with one point, I would've signed my life on it," he said.
"To tell you the truth I didn't feel sorry because sometime you feel for a colleague, I don't think Viddie deserved to lose or Adelaide deserved to lose but I felt sorry and disappointed for the boys."
In the National Youth League, the Reds recorded their first win since Round 4, ending the Gold Coast's unbeaten run with a hard-fought 3-2 victory.
Adelaide led 2-0 at the long break and 3-1 midway through the second half but after surrendering the lead and settling for a draw in four home games this season, Joe Mullen's boys were under pressure.
When Andrew Barisic scored from a penalty kick in the 79th minute there was a scary case of deja vu for the home side.
But Adelaide didn't get the jitters and this time continued to play positively until the final whistle.