Before their string of away matches, Goulburn Valley Suns coach Craig Carley had set his troops a target of seven points from three games on the road.
The Suns salvaged a draw against Doveton at the weekend and, although the side did not lose any of the three, it fell two points short of the required task in the wash up.
Football is a results driven business and, though Carley feels his side is playing pretty well, there’s an elephant in the room which needs addressing.
“It is just individual errors that are costing us and we can’t keep affording to give, with the greatest respect to Doveton, mediocre teams easy goals ― and that’s what we’ve done,” Carley said.
“If we can clean up there we’ll be turning these draws into wins and really putting pressure on those top couple of teams.
“It’s disappointing not to reach that target of seven points, but we’ve had the long stretch of three away games, so hopefully we can make amends with these next three games and certainly pick up the three points this weekend.”
Away to Doveton, the Suns took charge of the early ball, but found themselves 1-0 down on the half-hour mark.
Centre back Joe Adoo-Peters had his pocket picked on the edge of the 18-yard box and Doveton forward Sam Maggs was good enough to dispatch, with the hosts doubling the advantage five minutes later.
Sam Catherine capped a fleeting counter for 2-0, leaving Carley no choice but to make some changes at the half.
As well as a tactical switch, the introduction of Matt Lelliott, Elijah Brooker and Declan Kinnane began to liven things up, but it was none other than Russell Currie to peg one back in the 59th minute as he latched on to Tutu Taya’s through ball and slammed it in the corner.
With 15 minutes left, it was Lelliott’s turn to play saviour.
The charismatic midfielder is often due one cracking goal a season, and this may well have been his moment as he leapt to meet Brandon Giaccherini’s free kick on the head and cannoned it past the Doveton custodian to restore parity.
Suns pushed and pushed but couldn’t find the winner and with a return to McEwen Reserve this weekend, Carley has already put the next set of challenges in front of his charges as they currently sit in fourth on the table.
“Generally the performance wasn’t bad, even in the first half we found ourselves 2-0 down but we were actually playing some good football in the defensive and middle third,” Carley said.
“It was as soon as we got into the final third we lacked any real creativity, we didn’t really have a shot on target despite dominating possession.
“It was a little bit concerning in regards to that, but the second half we made a couple of subs at half-time, changed formation and to be honest we were unlucky in the end to not get the win.
“We just now need to make sure we’re picking up points from the teams in and around us, and if we can do that promotion is a possibility.
“But if we continue to leak easy goals like we did on the weekend then we’ll continually be in an uphill battle.
“We’ll certainly work on it in training and leave no stone unturned in regards to our preparation.”
· Away from league duties, the Suns’ heavy schedule welcomes another midweek fixture down the track as it faces Heidelberg United at McEwen Reserve in the Dockerty Cup semi-final on July 11.
Additionally, on June 28 the side will find out who lies waiting in the round of 32 of the Australia Cup when the draw takes place.