After six pre-season matches, Coach Tony Popovic has seen some good signs ahead of the Hyundai A-League season.
After six pre-season matches, Coach Tony Popovic has seen some good signs ahead of the Hyundai A-League season.
In what has been a gruelling pre-season with players being tried and tested out on the pitch, Popovic can see a number of positives and progression since the squad first got together.
“There are definitely some good signs there, of course we still have a lot of work to do but with five weeks to do that, I-m comfortable with where we-re at,” Popovic said.
With the squad facing their first Hyundai A-League opponent last Friday, the Melbourne Heart. The former Socceroo is starting to increase some of the squad-s match time.
“We-ve been trying to increase the minutes across the squad, we-ve had our challenges and it-s been difficult with small numbers at times but it-s about avoiding injuries where we can but I-m happy, most of our guys are getting good minutes.
“It was a step up, there are and will be a lot of firsts for this club. It was a solid performance and I was pleased with how we-d played after the 90 minutes.
Sunday saw the completion of the pre-season camp, with the squad returning and getting straight back into sessions at their home base in Blacktown.
“It was a great week, it was as much off the field as on,” Popovic said. “We-ve grown as a squad and are gelling well. We-ll add a few more players in the coming weeks and we-ll definitely be ready come October 6.
