Melbourne City Head Coach John van’t Schip admitted there were plenty of positives to take out of his side’s 4-1 win over Northern Fury FC at Townsville Sports Reserve on Wednesday night.
City netted twice in each half to overcome the spirited NPL Queensland outfit in the opening match of the Club’s pre-season tour, with teenage debutant Braedyn Crowley and youth player Yusuf Ahmed adding to first-half strikes from Bruce Kamau and Luke Brattan.
After making a total of 10 changes to a strong starting XI at the interval, the Dutchman was satisfied at how the Club’s young and experienced players acquitted themselves in both halves.
“We had two different teams on the park today in the first half and second half. We’re very satisfied with the work they put in and the game they played,” van’t Schip said.
“We tried to put in place the things we were working on in the last few weeks and credit to the boys, they stuck to the plan and intensity we wanted to play, so I’m more than happy.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done but I think the boys put in a good effort.”
van’t Schip praised the performance of a resolute Fury outfit but was quick to lament his side’s off-colour evening in-front of goal.
“Credit to (Northern) Fury, they played a good game and worked hard and that’s what we want; to have an opponent who works hard and tries to play football. There were a lot of positives to come out of the match.”
“We created a lot of opportunities but the goalkeeper played a great game. They were keeping us on our toes and on the counter so we had to concentrate and make sure we didn’t give away too many opportunities on the break.”
“I think if we were a bit more clinical in-front of goal then we would have had a higher score. There are a lot of things we need to work on and one of those is finishing.”
City will face Wellington Phoenix in the final game of the tour on Sunday afternoon, and van’t Schip is expecting a different contest against the Club’s Round 1 A-League opponents.
“We’ll have a different approach on Sunday. Today was about everyone getting on the park and playing 45 minutes.”
“Sunday will be about playing more specific and in a different way, players will play for longer on the field. It will be a different game.”
