You can only stretch your playing roster so far and Altona Magic was at breaking point.
The Magic so desperately wanted to appear on the national stage among the FFA Cup’s last 32 teams, but injuries and inexperience forbade it from doing so.
The cup run came to a sad end for the Magic with a lifeless 1-0 defeat to Moreland Zebras at Paisley Park on Wednesday night.
Magic coach Goran Lozanovski was hurting after the loss, knowing his side got so close to a potential drawing of an A-League club, that would bring the riches and the spotlight on the club.
“It was disappointing,” he said.
“We wanted to win and get through to the next stage, but unfortunately that didn’t happen.
“We gave it our best crack but it didn’t pan out.”
Altona’s line-up was hampered two-fold.
The Magic had endured a tough run of injuries to key players, robbing the side of some experience and quality.
A dip in the transfer market to ease the pain did not help the Magic in the FFA Cup as those players were cup-tied to their former clubs and unable to represent the Magic.
Lozanovski had to call up some players from the youth side.
“We had six of the under-20 boys in the team and two of them started,” he said.
“They were a little bit shaky in their first experience playing senior football.”
Altona went a goal down in the 73rd minute after a long range strike from Moreland’s Thomas Barforosh was spilt by Magic goalkeeper Shane Viitakangas and dribbled across the line.
The Magic produced their best football following the goal and had a great call for a penalty late on which was controversially waved away by the referee.
Robert Stambolziev’s strike appeared to be blocked by the out-stretched hands of a Moreland defender, but play-on was called.
“It was hard for me to see it from the bench, but you could hear a noise that it slapped the hand and it was quite obvious,” Lozanovski said.
“After the game and seeing the video that it hit his hand, he’s stopped it from going towards the target.”
If there is a blessing in disguise for Altona, it can now focus on its NPL campaign, which has looked shaky in recent weeks.
A 1-0 loss to Oakleigh Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve on Sunday was the Magic’s third loss in the league in the past four matches.
“Right now, we’re trying to resurrect our league season and try and get on a bit of a run and get into the top six,” Lozanovski said.
“If we can play finals at the end of the year, I think it’s been a great success for us.”
Altona Magic has freshened up the squad with the transfer window additions of former Sydney FC youth playmaker Hassan Jalloh, former Australian youth international defender Dane Milovanovic and defender Kwabena Boahene, signed from the lower leagues.
