Melbourne City midfielder Neil Kilkenny was a relieved man after his side conceded what he termed a “silly” goal in their 2-1 win over Newcastle Jets on Thursday night.
After the Jets spurned a golden opportunity in the first five minutes, City stormed back, bossing the clash and going 2-0 up inside the first half an hour courtesy of Bruno Fornaroli.
But the home side conceded ten minutes before the break and the game changed in the second half.
City held on to register the win at AAMI Park, much to the relief of the former Birmingham City and Leeds United midfielder.
Fantastic Fornaroli fires City past Jets
“It was a hard-fought game. They came at us and we let in a silly goal really,” a relieved Kilkenny told Fox Sports.
“We had to get balls into the box and we did that, especially in the first 30 minutes.
“Obviously it makes it a bit itchy at the end, but glad for the three points and we move on to the next [game].”
The 30-year-old added teams in the Hyundai A-League are showing City respect by sitting back and playing on the counter.
And City coach John van ‘t Schip conceded it was a little “shaky” towards the end but was satisfied that his charges controlled the game overall, and was pleased with the contribution of the players who came back into the side.
“There were periods in the first half that were open and we gave away some space,” he said.
“They had two good opportunities but of course we had two goals and another good opportunity with Bruno [Fornaroli].
“The second half we could have made more profit of the possession that we had. We have to be a bit sharper in front of goal and with our last pass.
“Anthony [Caceres] and Osama [Malik] did a good job coming into the team.
Van ‘t Schip added: “It’s a step in the right direction but there is still a lot to work on.”
City next play on Friday Nov 18 away to Western Sydney Wanderers in Round 7.
