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Reds assistant coach Mark Milligan made the best of a last-minute call up to take the reins against Melbourne Victory after Carl Veart fell ill.

Adelaide United were forced into a major off-field reshuffle before kick-off against Melbourne Victory with coach Carl Veart too unwell to attend the match - but his assistant Mark Milligan filled in seamlessly.

The former Victory captain Milligan made the best of stepping in to take charge on his A-League Men's debut as a head coach, and oversaw a 1-1 draw for the Reds.

Milligan revealed he was informed earlier on Saturday by Veart that he wasn't going to be able to take his place on the bench for the clash against United's biggest rivals.

"Carl gave me a call, probably about lunchtime, just saying that he wasn't feeling the best and that I would be in charge tonight and then, obviously the fun started," quipped Milligan.

"I'm just very fortunate that I was thrust into this position today but the whole group was so helpful and made that transition today quite easy."

Veart had managed the group all week as usual before falling ill, and Milligan admitted significant changes or alterations to the squad's preparation weren't needed.

"Most of the work was done during the week, the tactical side of things and things like that, that obviously Carl was available for," he said.

"Game day is more about just reinforcing those messages that we've been giving to them, making the players as comfortable as possible and the best way to do that is try and keep as normal a routine for them as possible."

The changes on the bench didn't appear to unsettle the home side who broke the deadlock on six minutes thanks to a superb strike from Craig Goodwin, after slick build-up play from Ben Halloran.

Victory equalised after the break thanks to their own stunner from Nick D'Agostino.

This lifted the visitors who dominated the second half and looked the most likely to find a winner, despite a strong and frantic finish from the Reds.

Milligan said the players had remained focused on returning to form following the 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Central Coast Mariners last week.

Similarly, taking charge for the first time on such a big occasion likely helped his cause as a coach.

"This was a big game and from that point of view it probably made my life a little bit easier - there was no need for that extra motivation or anything like that," said Milligan.

"The boys were very aware, especially after the performance last week, it was important we got back to the intensity that we want to play at.

"While it wasn't still quite there, it was definitely a step back in the right direction."