Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat saw plenty of positive signs after his side picked up their first point of the season on Friday night. And he was disappointed not to have won a feisty clash at Adelaide Oval.
Victory and the Reds scrapped it out for a 2-2 draw after the Big V went into the game winless from two.
But a courageous late fightback and their overall play gave Muscat cause for optimism after they fought fire with fire in a physical clash.
“We scored a very good goal the first one but you could sense in the players they looked comfortable and they knew they were playing some really good stuff there,” Muscat told Fox Sports.
“When we had the ball it was always on the ground and trying to move through the thirds and create opportunities and not rely on percentages.
“But in the end the last 20 minutes it’s the same persistence and without doubt we got our just rewards.
“You’ve always got to maintain belief,” Muscat added.
“For longer periods today than previously [this season] there was a great deal of belief in the team tonight and it could’ve been a little bit different.
“I’m disappointed we didn’t take all three points. We were the ones after we scored trying to get the game moving.
“And it’s always important that everyone believes they can make a contribution,” he said of his super sub Mitch Austin, whose late goal helped Victory rescue a point.
“Mitch was real positive.”
