![Adamstown's Josh Haines on Sunday. Picture by Michael Ying Sing, NNSWF Adamstown's Josh Haines on Sunday. Picture by Michael Ying Sing, NNSWF](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ChN2GeGbsrYvYqhWaZEXS7/bf8f4e87-1286-46c9-a154-e80111292d1d.jpg/r0_0_5022_3348_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Attitude and effort from his players were essential for Chris Moylan when he took over unexpectedly as Adamstown head coach.
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And after two games, Moylan is happy he has both. Now he expects more of it against fourth-placed Edgeworth (20 points) at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Wednesday (8pm).
Moylan, Rosebud's reserve grade coach this year, got the call on May 19 - the day after an 8-2 loss to Broadmeadow - asking him to take the reins of first grade. The club had axed Daniel Dawkins nine NPL games into his tenure with Adamstown last on two points.
With Moylan at the helm, Adamstown lost 2-0 away to Lambton Jaffas in the Australia Cup before a 4-0 defeat at third-placed Charlestown on Sunday. They conceded early on Sunday but competed well until a second goal, in the 56th minute. Two late goals blew the margin out but Moylan was pleased with the effort.
"I wasn't too worried about the score at the end because I made the decision to see if we could get something out of the game," Moylan said.
"Between the opening goal and the second, which were both horrendous goals to give away, we certainly competed and created chances.
"The effort and the attitude were there, which is all I wanted to see in the first week I'd taken over. Just make sure we were going to compete and the attitude is right, and it's fine.
"The feeling and commitment is good. There's good energy around the group all of a sudden, which often happens when there's a change. The change was made and it probably needed to be made, and thankfully the boys have responded."
He believed a change in formation was also working.
"I don't think the format we were playing suited the players that we had, so I've changed that and made it a little simpler," he said. "That's no reflection on what Daniel was doing, I just had a slightly different view. And it's certainly made us more competitive."
Before this year, Moylan was assistant to now-president Dave Roswarne in first grade, where they worked to make a young side of mostly club juniors competitive. With relegation back, the pressure is on to get results.
"We've got another tough game then it doesn't get any easier against Valentine on Saturday," he said.
"The Kiwi striker [Ryan Feutz] Edgy have is quality and can play off both feet so we'll have fun trying to keep him under control.
"But the boys will have a game plan and they will put in. It's what we lived on last year and what we've been building on the last three. It's just disappointing we couldn't maintain that for the first half of this year."
Rosebud have Zac Griffin (groin) and Kye Fauchon (ankle) out. Edgeworth skipper Pat Wheeler (calf) is sidelined and Joe Melmeth (groin) is in doubt.
"Traditionally we have been a very difficult team for them to beat," Moylan said of the Eagles.
"Last year they scored in the 89th minute then we had a draw in the second round, so we'll see how we go."
He said he was in charge "until the end of the season and then we'll see from there".
"Our priority is obviously to stay in the NPL," he said.
"With the bottom three teams it's so tight and you've only got to win one or two games to jump out of the relegation zone. The boys know that and that's our focus.
"I'm all about winning games at senior level, that's all it's about."