Western Pride came from behind to defeat a 10-men Redlands United 2-1 on Saturday night at Briggs Road Sporting Complex.
Coach Matt Chandler was disappointed in the result but was happy with the way his team was playing.
“I thought we were playing well up until the sending off,” Chandler said.
“To be fair we scored the goal, I thought we were in control then the penalty and the sending off changed the game.
“We played well in patches, I just think the result was disappointing for us,” he said.
Both teams started slowly with neither side having the possession they needed to control the game.
Redlands came close to putting the ball in the back of the net but Pride defender Karamo Kamara kicked it off the goal line to keep the scores at nil-all.
At the other end of the field, Denver Crickmore saved a one-on-one against Jordan Lambi after receiving a great through ball from his Pride teammate.
Redlands was the dominant side in the first half with a number of clear-cut chances on goal but was unable to capitalise on them.
After signing three players during the week to cover the injuries the squad is facing, Damien Kallis and Mikey Dalton both made their debuts for the club.
Dalton put Redlands ahead early in the second half, as he volleyed the ball into the side of the goal.
Not long after, defender Jake Sherwood was sent off after collecting Jordan Lambi in the box as the last man and giving Pride a penalty.
Joseph Duckworth hit the ball into the top corner from the spot for his first goal of the season and to level the scores.
Redlands’ defence continued to be tested by Pride as they put a number of chances on goal and put them under immense pressure being a player down.
Both teams kept pushing for the deciding goal and it fell with Pride as Gabriel Hawash sealed his side’s first win of the season.
Redlands tried to push for a draw but Pride were dominating possession and shutting down their counter attacks with ease.
Chandler believes the red card will not change the way his team lines up next week but hopes it will be a lesson during training in the coming week.
“We need to change our mentality when we’ve got 10 men,” he said.
“We have to teach players to play with 10 men and teach them how to integrate together to gain a result.”
Redlands United will be back at the Cleveland Showgrounds on Saturday March 25 against Northern Fury from 3pm.