Melbourne City was left frustrated after a heartbreaking elimination from Football Federation Victoria men’s state league 4 playoffs.
It was the one that got away for misfiring City, which lost the semi-final 1-0 in extra-time to Darebin United at the State Football Centre on Friday night.
City did the bulk of attacking in the cut-throat game but drew blanks time and again.
“We hit the post twice, the crossbar once and we had at least four man-on-mans with the keeper,” City technical director Leonel Malik of the South Kingsville-based club told Star Weekly.
“We dominated and had more chances than them but, unfortunately, we couldn’t connect.
“They had a counter-attack with five or six minutes left in extra time and converted.”
Malik was proud of his team’s efforts both on the night and in a bounce-back season in which it ran a strong second behind runaway premiers Hoppers Crossing.
When he took over as coach, City was a middle-rung plodder as opposed to the genuine premiership contender it is now, turning the fortunes around significantly with 43 points this season, up from 36 last campaign and 24 in 2012.
“I told the boys we can walk off the ground with our heads held high,” Malik said.
“They left everything on the pitch.
“We worked hard the whole year and it was a good year from the club point of view.
“Everything was going downhill when I took over last year and we kept working hard this year to try to do the best we could.
“I was very proud of the team and their effort.”
The defeat has almost certainly headed City to another season in SL4, despite a top-two finish.
They will receive official confirmation in the coming weeks of their status for 2015.
“The FFV is a bit all over the place,” Malik said.
“One day they tell you first and second goes up, then they tell you first goes up and second plays a playoff.
“At the moment, we don’t go up, but we won’t know for at least a week or two.”
