Melbourne Heart youth team coach Joe Palatsides was in a mostly upbeat mood despite his team’s loss to crosstown rivals Melbourne Victory in the local derby at Lakeside Stadium on Sunday.
Two late goals were enough to ensure Victory claimed the bragging rights, with Palatsides ruing missed opportunities early on that could have changed the course of the match.
“I thought it was a really close game, it was one of those chess matches where you’re just waiting for someone to make a mistake and you are ready to capitalise on,” he said.
“In the first half we had a few chances that we could have capitalised on but we didn’t take them, and in the second half Victory did just that.
“Those details make a big difference and we paid the price.”
Despite the result, he said the real objective of the game was to test his players and gain experience against an opposition with a host of senior experience.
“The experience these young kids got today, playing against the Finklers, the Galloways, the Nabbouts and Jeggo, was great to see where we are with these young boys now,” he said.
“At the same time, we’re a bit disappointed… we should have at least hung on for a point.
“But at this stage there are more positives than negatives.”
Palatsides was pleased with his team’s defensive structure and ability to subdue their opponents for over 80 minutes, challenging his players to now sustain the same intensity for the full 90.
“Victory are an attacking team. For us to keep them away from our goalmouth and keep them away from creating clear-cut chances was a plus,” he said.
“That’s one of the things we’ve been concentrating on and I think it’s shown in the first three games.”
He emphasised the importance of working together with a mostly new group of players.
“This is a new group. We didn’t have much time together,” he said.
“The more games we play together, the better we’re going to get.
“It’s another step in the right direction.”
Heart’s next National Youth League game is against the AIS away on Saturday.