Wanderers head coach Markus Babbel says his side deserved to walk away with much more than a point following their heartbreaking 1-1 draw with Western United at Bankwest Stadium on Friday night.
In sight of a morale-boosting win and having produced one of their best performances this season, the Red & Black had to settle for a share of the spoils after the visitors equalised with just three minutes left.
German defender Patrick Ziegler had given the home side the lead just eight minutes earlier, heading home from close range following a corner from the left.
The draw was a cruel result for a Wanderers side that dominated for 95 percent of the game. It is instructive that goalkeeper Daniel Lopar had to make just two saves in the entire match, one of them in the second minute of the game.
The Red & Black attacked at every opportunity and created plenty of chances but the ball simply would not roll the right way for them.
“First of all, the performances was good and I am very proud of the team,” said Babbel.
“It was a difficult situation for them, they were also under pressure and they showed a really good performance. To be one up and then concede an equaliser, in the end, it is very hard to take.
“I really wished for this performance that they deserved definitely more but it is what it is.
“But in my eyes, it is a step forward.”
Babbel had made three changes to the side beaten 2-0 by Perth Glory last week with Lopar returning for Nick Suman in goal, Tate Russell replacing the injured Daniel Wilmering and Alex Meier coming in for Tarek Elrich.
The changes seemed to work a treat as the Wanderers looked aggressive and sharp as they pressed forward at every opportunity against a side that was content to hit on the counter.
But, they could not find their range in front of goal, something Babbel says he will continue to work on.
“The chances are there and we have to take them,” said Babbel.
“At the moment we are not ready for the moment.
“It’s not easy to create many chances and to find space against a team with 11 players 30 meters in front of their own goal.
“We had four or five really good chances but could not score.
“We have the players that can score but we have to work on that even more.”
