Bentleigh Greens manager John Anastasiadis lamented his side’s poor start while also praising their ability to claw their way back into the game after Saturday’s 2-2 away draw against Port Melbourne Sharks.
The ladder-leading Greens conceded twice inside the opening 16 minutes after goals to George Krommidas and a sublime solo finish from Kamal Ibrahim had the Sharks in dreamland.
“Sometimes I can’t explain some things and even as a coach I wonder why we started off so slowly and only started playing after twenty minutes when we were already 2-0 down,” Anastasiadis said.
“If we want to win this league we need to be better than that.”
“We have to be better than that and need to stamp our authority on games straight from the kick-off, not half way through the first half when we are already 2-0 down.”
The visitors did manage to recover and reduced the deficit soon after thanks to a Chris Lucas penalty, before a stunner from Tyson Holmes late on salvaged a point for the table toppers.
“We have to be better than that and need to stamp our authority on games straight from the kick-off, not half way through the first half when we are already 2-0 down,” he said.
He also noted that his squad must get used to opposition teams stepping up against them and playing some of their best football, if they hope to collect some silverware come season’s end.
“When you are on the top, everybody else tends to step up against you and play their best but we have to understand that will happen,” he said.
The 2013 Grand Finalists have hit a form slump, collecting five points from a possible fifteen in the past month as they have failed to further extend their lead at the top as their rivals also drop points.
Their remaining three fixtures sees Bentleigh host Avondale and Oakleigh Cannons on the final day, in between an away trip to 2013 Grand Final nemesis Northcote City and Anastasiadis insists the Greens must have their destiny in their own hands.
“We have had a tough month in winning only one of five but we knew we were going to experience a dip in form at some stage however having said that we must not rely on other results to go our way in order to remain at the top.”
“We need to ensure that we have our own fate in our hands by winning the next three games but first we must re-fresh the legs a little bit with the week off next weekend and bounce back against Avondale by getting the three points.”
Anastasiadis did reserve special praise for talismanic midfielder and Captain Wayne Wallace, who was making his 100th league appearance for Bentleigh, after the Englishman joined the club in 2011 from Sunshine George Cross.
“Wally was great today in what was a true captain’s performance. He’s coming off a tough period with injury and as a whole a player like him is the fabric of the club and above all is a great character who does everything for the team.”