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Rudan delighted with defensive solidity in Ballarat

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Western United head coach Mark Rudan was a happy man after another tough test on Saturday against Adelaide United in Ballarat. 

The two sides drew 0-0  on an overcast day at Morsehead Park in country Victoria. 

What Mark Rudan said

“A lot of improvements from last week against Victory. The fact we didn’t concede on the back of last week’s result pleased me the most. 

“Their attitude and effort was a lot better than last week, too. 

“We had some younger players get a start like Josh Cavallo, Jon Aspro and Apostolos Stamatepoulos. 

“We worked a lot on different things during the week but the emphasis was on our pressing in the first half, which was pretty good. 

“We continued that in the second half. Some tired bodies there in the second half but certainly our job as coaches is to rectify problems. And these are fixable problems. 

“And with five or six bodies of quality missing we still had a few chances in the second half. 

“So there’s a lot to look forward to.” 

What Gertjan Verbeek said

“They [Western United] played a 5-3-2 and it was difficult for us to find the open spaces. 

“We had a few good chances but we weren’t good enough to beat the opponent.” 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Western United return to Ballarat next Friday to play Sydney FC as preparations continue for the new Hyundai A-League season. 

United’s first home in the A-League is Saturday October 19 against reigning Premiers Perth Glory at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong. 

Want the best-value membership in the Hyundai A-League? 

CLICK HERE to become a Western United member.