McDonald praises Roar character in defeat

Brisbane Roar striker Scott McDonald has expressed his disappointment that his side’s plucky 10-man performance against Sydney FC didn’t result in a point on Friday night.

The Roar stood toe-to-toe with the Hyundai A-League leaders for large parts of the contest at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium before being ultimately brought undone 1-0 by Adam Le Fondre’s second-half penalty.

The goal came on the back of a handball decision against Scott Neville, who was struck on the arm as he sought to charge down an initial strike from the Sydney marksman in the box – the action resulting in a second yellow card and dismissal for the Roar defender.

McDonald said while he couldn’t fault the performance of his side, he felt the penalty decision and resulting send-off played a crucial part in the final result.

“Obviously the penalty hurt us,” McDonald told Fox Sports post-match.

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He added: “I don’t know whether it’s a penalty or not. Can he get his arm out of the way? I don’t think so – and then to make matters worse it’s a booking.

“Is it deliberate? Does he deserve a second yellow? They are all the question you need to ask and we feel a bit aggrieved by that.”

The result brought to an end a five-match unbeaten run for Robbie Fowler’s side, however, McDonald said he feels the team’s resilience to hold on was commendable before spurning their chances to snatch a point late on.

“[We were] somewhat disappointed not to get something at the end there – Amadi-Holloway had a great chance and then Peps right at the death as well,” the former Socceroo said.

“I think when we went down to ten men we showed some real character. I thought we kept the ball really well. It was a really good performance and really solid one.”

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McDonald had the best chance of the first-half for either side when he saw his 32^nd minute header bounce off the post before being swatted away by Sydney goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne.

The 36-year-old, who joined the Roar from Western United earlier this month, said he feels the signs are good for the side as they look to push into the Hyundai A-League top six in coming weeks.

“I’ve only been here two weeks but it has been really enjoyable to be a part of and it is a really good side here,” he said.

“We keep the ball extremely well at times and you can see we are growing in belief week-in, week-out. We can’t be too disheartened by this result.”

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By contrast, Sydney FC fullback Rhyan Grant conceded that his side were not at their best and should have put the contest to bed long before the final whistle, despite the result marking the first time in club history they have strung together three straight wins against the Roar.

“It was quite warm out here but at the same time we could’ve been better,” Grant said.

“I think we were a bit lazy – especially in that second half – and we could’ve closed it out a few more times, but we will take the win.

He added: “I think when they went a man down we had a lot of time to be able to be up their clacker and make them go backwards but we still let them get out.

“They did take the play there a bit with a man down which isn’t what we are after. So I think we could’ve been better, more enthusiastic I suppose, but we got the win so I can’t complain,” he concluded.

The result marks a 12^th straight match without defeat for the Sky Blues and extends their lead atop the Hyundai A-League to 13 points.