Baan Pleas To Adelaide’s Stay-away Fans

AAP - Ahead of tomorrow night’s vital Olympics qualifier against Iran, Olyroo coach Rob Baan has issued a plea to Adelaide’s stay-away football fans: "Come and support us."

“I’ve been very disappointed,” Baan said earlier today when asked about the small crowds at Hindmarsh for the Olyroos so far in their quest to qualify for Beijing.

“The national Olympic team is very, very important. In Holland we would get big crowds for our Olympic team with many children turning up to make a lot of noise and a great atmosphere.

“We see in this country how important the Olympics is with other sports, like swimming and hockey. It’s important that we qualify. We need the fans.”

So far, the Olyroos have pulled crowds of under 3,000 for each of their group matches at Hindmarsh.

Looking ahead to the game against Iran tomorrow night, Baan says his side is “well prepared and at full strength.”

Latest news is that Jets midfielder Stuart Musalik is out of the reckoning after picking up a leg injury. Mark Milligan, the Sydney FC star, is also being nursed through his back complaint but should play.

“We have to be patient. Iran will be looking for a counter attack so our finishing is important. [James] Troisi will probably play, but he’s an assister. [Mark] Bridge and Sarks [Kristian Sarkies], we will be leaning on them to score tomorrow night.

“With the reports I’m receiving, Iran is much stronger than they were when we drew 0-0 with them in Tehran. They are much better now. Better organised and have changed some positions. It’s going to be a real difficult test.”

Gun striker Nathan Burns has told ABC in Adelaide it’s a must-win game. "Of course we've got to go all out and win but also defensively you've got to make sure you don't let a goal in because then it's going to be difficult to come back from 1-0 losing, so we've got to go all out attack because we can't rely on other teams to get the results for us," Burns said.

The Olyroos take on Jordan in Amman next month in their final Olympics qualifier.