Dario Vidosic returned to the dugout as Brighton and Hove Albion beat West Ham United 2-1 in the fifth round of the Women’s FA Cup.
The Australian had been on leave after the passing of his father Rado, head of women’s and girls’ coaching at the club.
And he said afterwards to the club’s official website: “The fans gave me a nice reception when I got off the bus when we arrived and brought joy to me. They were terrific and helped us get through – it makes a massive difference.”
Fran Kirby opened the scoring after six minutes, and then assisted Kiko Seike to stretch the lead after 20 minutes.
Leila Wandeler got a goal back for the hosts with 15 minutes remaining to make the closing stages interesting.
Vidosic reflected: “We were in decent control at 2-0 and at the start of the second half had possession in their half and then we conceded, but this time we stood up to the challenge and deserve to be in the next round.”
Dario Vidosic: “He has never taken his eye off what’s going on”
Acting head coach Chris Roberts had said on Friday: “Even though he has not been here in person, he has been involved and present in everything we do. He has never taken his eye off what’s going on.”
He added that the focus had been on “consistency”, going on to say: “Dario, I and all the staff are a really close-knit bunch so nothing needed to change.
“It has been an emotionally challenging time because we lost someone very dear to all of our hearts in Rado – a member of staff, a mentor, a friend and of course Dario’s father.
“But our preparations didn’t change, our standards or the way we want to play. Huge credit to the players who have been so professional and it has been my privilege to lead them.”
