Midfielder James Troisi on the Wanderers performance last night against league-leaders Western United.
After a very slow start to the fixture on Sunday night at AAMI Park, the Wanderers put in one of their strongest performances of the season in the second half against Western United and were unlucky to come away with nothing.
The Red & Black made life difficult for themselves after conceding first, forcing a fightback that almost saw the sides share the points in the end.
For Troisi and the Wanderers, there were plenty of positives to take from the match, all of which were on display in the team’s second half performance.
“Towards the end, we really showed fight and good character,” explained Troisi.
“We make it very difficult for ourselves when we concede sloppy goals. The third goal, hats off to him, it happens once in your career.
“Having said that though, we had two players on him, but the first two we are really disappointed with.
“They’re in the first position for a reason If you concede early against them at home, it makes life difficult.
“We’re not going to give up.
“There’s been plenty of positives since the Gaffa (head coach Mark Rudan) has come in and we’ve got to keep our standards high, keep fighting and keep working.”
It has been a series of frantic fixtures for the Red & Black who faced another short turn-around time to prepare for the fixture against Western United.
“We didn’t start off at the races, we were a little bit sidewards and backwards,” said Troisi.
“In all fairness, we’ve had a lot of games and we still have a lot of games in a short period of time.
“That’s why you need a decent sized squad, it’s 23-players plus the ones that are at home. It’s not just the 11 on the pitch.
“We need everyone to chip in, plenty of positives but the negatives are costing us at the moment.
“Every time we’ve kept a clean sheet, we’ve won the game. It’s common sense, but it’s easier said than done.
“We just need to continue to work, plenty positives so far and we just need to grit our teeth in and keep fighting.”
The quick turnarounds will continue for the Wanderers Isuzu UTE A-League Men’s side who will this week face Newcastle Jets on Wednesday night at McDonald Jones Stadium before returning home to CommBank Stadium on Sunday to take on Wellington Phoenix.
