FOR want of a goal the match was, if not lost, then not won.
Melbourne Heart's inability in recent games to finish off opponents when it has had the lion's share of possession could end up costing it dearly in a season that has, for long periods, looked so promising.
The goalless draw with Victory on Saturday night brings Heart's winless streak to seven, and it has only itself to blame for failing to take three points after dominating the first half and then spurning a golden opportunity when Kristian Sarkies blasted over the bar with just Ante Covic to beat late in the game.
It was a similar story last month against Central Coast when Heart controlled the match, failed to make the breakthrough and then conceded a late winner to the visitors against the run of play. In fact, since the impressive 4-0 win over Sydney at the end of December, Heart has scored only five goals in seven games and never more than one in a match as it has slid from second on the ladder down towards the chasing pack battling for a spot in the lower reaches of the top six.
The Heart hierarchy does not like to hear it, but the team is unquestionably less effective without its hard-running captain and central midfielder Fred. The Brazilian's prodigious work rate and skill so often provides the spark that gets the team over the line. Heart has not won since he has been missing and the fact that it is now without Matt Thompson, an equally lively midfield presence who often bobs up with a goal or two, makes life even more difficult for John Van 't Schip's side.
The coach admitted after the Victory game that his team needs to be sharper in front of goal.
''We were not decisive enough up front,'' he said. ''It's very positive that you create these chances but you have to take them. It's good that you can play the way you want to play but we have to be more sure and more determined in the way we go into the last part of the attack. We gave too many simple balls away and our cutbacks and crosses were not sharp enough. We had some big chances …''
Still, there was plenty to like about their efforts on Saturday, not the least the performance of young debutant Craig Goodwin, signed from Victorian Premier League Oakleigh after he had moved to Victoria to look for opportunities, having been discarded by Adelaide United. The 20-year-old was never overawed by the occasion nor its intensity, and he was solid both in defence and attack, deputising for first choice left-back Aziz Behich, away with the Olyroos on international duty.
Goodwin's task will now be to show that his debut was not a fluke when Heart travels to Newcastle for what looms as another crucial match next weekend.
Having looked so good as it climbed the heights with that run of seven wins in eight games through November and December, it would be a major disappointment for Heart not to make the finals now. A place in the play-offs would be a fitting finale for Van 't Schip and it would do a lot to consolidate the club's status as a viable presence in the league, especially if it makes it and Victory does not. Even better would be to finish in the top four and secure a home final, although hopes for that are receding as each game goes past without a win.
Of the Melbourne pair, Heart is still the most likely at this stage to be involved post season.
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