Having joined Inglewood United over the summer, Adam Tong has settled in at the club and is feeling confident as the new season approaches. Inglewood make their first competitive appearance of 2016 on Friday evening against Floreat Athena, and the imposing defender feels he and his teammates are ready for the challenge of facing last year’s Night Series winners.
“Things are going great, the season has come up faster a bit than expected,” said Tong, one of several new faces in the Inglewood squad. “I joined the club about two months ago and the first few weeks were simply a matter of getting to know the playing group. Believe it or not, but most of the lads weren’t as shy and quiet as myself.”
“We’ve played a few games together and had a team bonding session and we’re all happy campers, the lads get along well as a group. The line-up has been a bit unsettled so far with all the lads given the chance to show the coaching staff what they have to offer. It’s still early days so we’ve been working on a few different things to surprise opposition teams.”
Coach Michael Garcia may be tempted to deploy some of those “different things” when his team steps out against Floreat on Friday. Tong’s focus on the night will be on subduing the Floreat attack however, regardless of the result, the defender says the opening round Night Series fixture is just a curtain-raiser for the main event, the National Premier Leagues.
“The tournament is primarily for managers and players to prepare for the season ahead,” he commented. “Like every other team, we will be going out there to win all our games and if we manage to bring home the trophy then that’s great. But if not, then we will learn where we went wrong and work towards not making those same mistakes when the league begins.”
The QBE Night Series commences on Friday with a double header at Inglewood Stadium. The opening fixture comes from Pool B where Armadale and Perth SC (6.30pm) match skills with the late game featuring inner city rivals Inglewood and Floreat (8.30pm). Full bar and kitchen facilities will be available on the night.
