Western United striker Dylan Wenzel-Halls is eager to go on a cup run with his teammates this year ahead of the side’s first competitive fixture of the season.
The Green and Black is set to take on Melbourne Victory in the Round of 32 of the Australia Cup on Wednesday August 3, with kick-off set for 7:30pm at AAMI Park.
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And Western United’s No.9 said the team will approach the clash full of confidence and with only one goal on its mind.
“We’ll go in confident as always. We’re going to go in confident no matter who we play, but we also know Victory are a good team and they’ve definitely got their quality,” he said.
“The more competitive games we get the better, so to go on a cup run would be perfect for us. Tomorrow night, we want to win and we’re going to go out there to win.”
Wenzel-Halls is coming off his debut year at Western United where he scored five goals and played a key role in the Finals series as the Green and Black became Isuzu UTE A-League Men Champions.
The 24-year-old said he is feeling fit, and he and his teammates have returned to training with a sharpness and hunger to achieve further success this season.
“I always look after myself in the break, and everyone’s come back in good nick ready to go. Having this competitive game early is massive,” he said.
“We all loved the moment [Grand Final], the feeling, and it was a special occasion for everyone involved.
“For us to get a sniff of that success only makes us more determined and motivated to get more success. It was a special feeling lifting that trophy, so I think we’re all motivated to have more of those memories and make the most of this opportunity tomorrow night.”
After joining the Club last season alongside Head Coach John Aloisi and a number of other first-team stars, Wenzel-Halls is relishing returning to pre-season training in familiar surroundings.
“It’s been massive. This time last year, the structures that the boss and Foxey (Hayden Foxe) and the coaching staff wanted to implement was all brand new to us,” he said.
“Now we’ve got that base, we’ve got that core playing group and I think we can keep adding to our bows. It’s definitely much easier knowing the structures and how we want to play, we’ve just hit the ground running in that respect.”
Wenzel-Halls and his teammates will be out to take Western United into the Round of 16 of the Australia Cup for the first time with a win on Wednesday night, with another trophy and a spot in continental competition on the line.
