Steve Corica has praised his side for their attitude and concentration after coming back from a two goal deficit to salvage a point against Western United on Saturday night.
The Sky Blues were behind 3-1 with just over 30 minutes on the clock and scored two to see the game end 3-3 and maintain their spot inside the top six.
“In the second half we completely dominated and on the balance of play we should have won.
“The boys showed a great fighting spirit to come back into that game,” Corica said.
“We had enough chances to maybe win it in the end but full credit to the boys for showing great fighting spirit and coming back.”
Jake Girdwood-Reich made his starting debut in central midfield and the Sydney FC Head Coach applauded the efforts of the 18-year-old.
“I thought he was excellent tonight. He had an opportunity to play and I thought he did very well.
“He’s not fully fit but he showed great composure on the ball and defensively was very strong on the ball,” Steve Corica added.
On the opposite end to teenager Girdwood-Reich, Rhyan Grant made his 300th Sydney FC appearance and having previously played with the right back, Steve Corica credited him for his service to the club.
“He’s always on the front foot trying to make things happen for us.
“He is energetic, and best of all he is a great guy,” the former Sydney FC midfielder said.
“I played with him when I was still playing and he was 17 coming into the team and his work rate is no different now as it was back then.
“You only play around 26 games a season here in Australia so to make 300 at one club, that is pretty special.”
Attention for the Sky Blues turns to Adelaide United on Friday evening with this being the only fixture that Sydney FC have remaining against teams currently in the top six.
“It’s going to be a tough game against Adelaide United who are flying at the moment but it’s a great opportunity to play away from home.
“We’ve had good results there in the past so we will go there confident but we know we need to play well,” Corica added.
“You have to be switched on for the full 90 minutes but there are no easy games in this league and we need to be switched on to pick up points.”
Sydney FC will travel to the City of Churches on Thursday as they prepare for the Good Friday fixture.
Match Details
Adelaide United v Sydney FC
Isuzu UTE A-League Round 23
Friday 7th April 2023
Coopers Stadium, Adelaide, SA
Kick Off: 5:00pm AEST (4:30pm Local)
Broadcast Live: Paramount+
Tickets: Click Here & use code: AWAYBAYSUPPORT2223
