By Archie Tooth
USW 5ths coach Daniel Kelly insisted his side deserved credit for giving 100% to the end despite losing 6-0 to Cardiff Met 6ths in the Aldi Men’s Western Conference Trophy.
Kelly pointed out Met are in a division above them after a match which saw the hosts outgunned and goalkeeper Friday Mbode sent off.
“We came up against a good side who are a division above us,” said Kelly.
“We tried to stay compact for the first 15-20 minutes, which didn’t go to plan.
“Our heads didn’t drop, we kept trying to play our way and to keep possession.
“But they sat back waiting to counter after our mistakes – which turned into goals.”
USW had good opportunities throughout the match to make the affair tighter, but the side’s lack of killer instinct proved to be the key factor behind their defeat.
Kelly added: “When we get into that final third, we’ve got to take the chances we get.
“That issue we’ll take into training to fix for future matches.
“We’ve got to finish the chances we create, especially next week versus the USW 4ths.”
Kelly was philosophical about his team’s limitations, but also highlighted their qualities.
“Yes, it’s the bottom team,” he said.
“But we’ve got a good bunch of lads, good individuals.
“It just needs to glue together, he added.
“I’m not going to pump down on them if they give 100%, as that’s what I’m asking for.”
Kelly and his squad look forward to next week with the aim to improve on a season-opening 6-2 loss against the 4ths.
“We want to get one back on them in the league,” said Kelly.
“We had a friendly match against them last week and won 5-3.
“The aim is to get three points on the board as we can’t go winless all season.”