Auckland FC attacker Lachie Brook may have come through the Adelaide United system but says he’s ready to inflict some pain on his old side this weekend.
The Black Knights head to Coopers Stadium on Friday night with their semi-final tie with Adelaide United finally balanced after a tense encounter in the first leg at Go Media Stadium.
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A former Adelaide United player, Brook scored the opening goal of the game against his old side before Reds youngster Harry Crawford bagged the equaliser to set up a mouthwatering clash under the lights on Friday night at Coopers Stadium.
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For the 25-year-old it promises to be a special occasion as he comes up against the side who handed him his first start in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
“It’s a big full circle moment,” said Brook when speaking on Tuesday morning ahead of the Friday night fixture.
“I actually had no idea about that before the game (it) made me feel quite old, even though I’m only 25 but nine years ago, it’s crazy.
“Obviously it was a cool stat, but yeah, looking forward now to the next game. It’s almost not a bad thing going in at 0-0.
“I think sometimes if you go up with a 1-0 lead and you go into the next game, sometimes you can sort of change your mindset.
“But I think for us now, it’s same mindset as before. It’s a must win game for us. We know that we’re one win away from the Grand Final.”
These two sides have contest five matches since Auckland FC entered the Isuzu UTE A-League and it’s the Black Knights who have recorded the only win; a 2-1 victory earlier this season, with the other four encounters between the two sides ended all square.
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“We’re positive,” added Brook, who says the side have also been practising penalties this week.
“We knew that we played quite well. Obviously we conceded that goal. I think the momentum sort of shifted. We had a few of the injuries go down. It wasn’t ideal, and it does (mean we) probably made subs earlier than what we wanted to.
“But yeah we’re still confident and the feeling around the camp has been good.”
