FRUSTRATION was the name of game at La Trobe University as Murray United dominated swathes of their match but failed to find the back of the net on their way to a 3-0 loss to Whittlesea Ranges.
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But as good as the signs were for United in their NPL1 clash, the damage was done by half time with all three goals coming in quick succession before the break.
“There was one goal midway in the first half when we were clearly on top which hurt,” United’s James Coutts said.
“Then there were two right before half-time so they went in with a three-goal lead which I think everyone who was there would have told you couldn’t be the scoreline if you’d watched the general play.
“To be honest the way we played from box to box was very good.
“However football is all about goals, and goals change games.
“We had chances we should have scored and generally do score — we just didn’t produce going forward and defensively it was little individual errors.
“We conceded three sloppy goals and they were all errors that could have been avoided which is frustrating.”
Coutts said United had to learn to be more ruthless at both ends of the pitch.
“Our defending wasn’t as good as it has been or should be,” he said.
“And our forward line weren’t with it which was again disappointing and something we need to work on.
“It’s more about the final ball — our final pass and our decision making in the final third is crucial.
“And yesterday Ranges were clincal in the right areas where we weren’t.”
While there may have been no real standout performances, Coutts said that United had good spells as far as team play went.
“But our two full backs, Melkie Woldemichael and Ben Chaffey, were good too,” he said.
“They’re leaders in a different way, lead by example in terms of their attitude and work rate.
“Both are eligible to play in the under-20s and for me they’re the benchmark for every other young player at the club for the application that’s required to get to the next level.”
Despite the loss, United have continued to improve during its steep learning curve in the NPL.
And Coutts said the players had begun to realise their potential.
“Now we are going to every game feeling we can win, knowing we can and expecting it as well, which is a great feeling to have among the group,” he said.