Murray United is yet to secure its future in NPL 2 after a 1-0 loss to Richmond at La Trobe on Saturday.
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A miscommunication from goalkeeper Adbulkerim Koc under a high ball saw Ioannis Avramidis pounce to put Richmond ahead in the 30th minute, which is where they would remain.
The loss sees the Border outfit drop to sixth after wins from Goulburn Valley Suns (GVS) and Springvale on Saturday, but they are still nine points clear of the bottom-placed Eastern Lions who went down 1-0 to Dandenong Thunder.
Murray coach James Coutts admitted it was a very poor performance after so many positive signs against the Thunder last weekend.
“It was very frustrating to say the least,” Coutts said.
“We started well and had opportunities early, but I thought we were a little bit lethargic and a little bit off the pace.
“You could tell that Richmond were down there fighting, but it was all stuff we’d spoken about before the game.
“We can sit back and over-analyse sometimes, but goals change games and we should have been a couple of goals up at least.”
Coutts said his side hasn’t been dominated by any opponent this season, but individual errors have been a cause for concern.
“It was another individual error that cost us defensively,” he said.
“Going forward, we weren’t good enough and that’s going to result in defeat and it’s something the boys need to improve.
“I said to the boys, you can be as good as you want between either box, you can be the best team in build up and look pretty, but if you’re not ruthless and not good enough in either box defensively and offensively, you’re going to struggle.
“We certainly believe in playing a certain brand and a certain way and I want to promote playing good football, however, it’s about being very simple, keeping the ball out of the net at one end and putting it in the net at the other end.”
Sean Pye got through the 90 minutes after missing the previous week with a quad complaint, while Coutts and Nick Teichmann came on in the second half and pulled through without further injury.
However, star recruit Gonzalo Freddi was forced to come off at half-time after feeling a pinch in his hamstring.
“We’ll find out on Monday, we’re not 100 per cent sure how bad it is,” Coutts said.
“He came off more as a precaution, because with a hamstring, if he goes back out there and does it, he’s done for the season.”
Murray faces a tough task against Dandenong City at La Trobe next weekend, who slipped to second after a 2-2 draw with Box Hill United.
The Thunder holds a one-point lead at the top of the league following its 1-0 triumph against the Lions.
The ladder after round 24 is: Dandenong Thunder 51, Dandenong City 50, Melbourne City 34, Goulburn Valley Suns 32, Springvale 31, Murray United 30, Box Hill United 26, Nunawading City 25, Richmond 25, Eastern Lions 21.