They had sprung a surprise on the A-League team by beating them 3-2 at the same venue on Wednesday evening but had to settle for being on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline this time.
The two friendly matches are part of Gold Coast’s preparations for their upcoming season and they will be much more pleased with their progress after putting in an improved performance.
Coach Miron Bleiberg’s men were better organised and played with a higher intensity than four days earlier.
They were rewarded for stepping up a gear in the 70th minute when Brazilian midfielder Robson picked out former New Zealand Knights player Steve Fitzsimmons with a superb cross-field pass.
Fitzsimmons headed the ball into the path of Michael Thwaite, whose shot from the edge of the box was too hot to handle for the New Caledonian goalkeeper. Young striker Golgol Mebrahtu was on hand to knock home the loose ball.
It was a deserved win for United but New Caledonia had their moments in another tough encounter for Bleiberg’s troops, a fact recognised by the coach after the game.
“I thought we deserved to win and approached this one a lot better than last time. But again all credit to New Caledonia because they were very organised, disciplined and played some good football. Make no mistake about it, they are a good side and they have surprised us,” he said.
“We took the first game against New Caledonia too easy and paid for it. This time we had more intensity and took the match more seriously, which was pleasing.”
He says his side’s return to Noumea – Gold Coast also played matches against New Caledonia during their pre-season programme last year – has proved well worthwhile.
“It was only our second game of the pre-season and we’ve used a lot of our young players, so it’s been a good exercise for us and we’re starting to find our legs. We’ve tried a few things tactically and put some very good match fitness into our players which was the whole idea of coming over here.”
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