The scoreless draw at Bob Jane Stadium on Sunday between South Melbourne and Brisbane Strikers was a result that suited neither of these Finals-chasing side.
"It was a frustrating night," said South coach Ange Postecoglou. "We created enough opportunities to win it, (Strikers') keeper - Clint Bolton - played well and credit to him, and we missed a few that we probably should have put away. But that's the way it goes."
Strikers coach John Kosmina also would have preferred a win. "We'll have to start winning some games (to reach the Finals). But we got a win last week and a draw this week away from home the first point we've got here for a long time I think, so we can't complain about it."
Scoreless draws are often dull affairs, but this one was most certainly not in that category. There were chances earnt and spurned by both sides, and the game moved from end to end in a keenly fought contest. Remarkably, given the stakes for both sides, referee Matthew Breeze was not required to caution any player, and felt compelled to speak with players only on a couple of occasions.
Responding to questions about whether the draw means South will struggle to make the Finals Series this year after winning the Championship in the last two, Postecoglou said, "It's getting a bit hard now. At least today the effort was there and I couldn't question our commitment (after last week's disappointing loss to Canberra)."
"We've just got to keep doing that for the last eight games and get as many results as we can and see what happens."
The early signs were that South Melbourne wanted to establish dominance in an attempt to kill the game off with an early burst of goals, and played three up front. Paul Trimboli joined Anthony Magnacca and John Anastasiadis in the forward line, and immediately set about their task.
"We usually play with Trimmers behind the front two," said Postecoglou. "We've got to win games so there's no point in sitting back and hoping for things to happen."
Nine minutes in, Steve Iosifidis made space up the right wing, playing a wall-pass with Trimboli sending the return short to Magnacca whose turn at the edge of the penalty-area completely wrong-footed his marker. Clint Bolton blocked Magnacca's driven shot, then gathered the loose ball at the feet of the fast-arriving Anastasiadis.
Two minutes later, Trimboli sent a high ball in to the area which Magnacca cleverly nodded down to Anastasiadis, but the veteran striker - who both started and finished a game, nowadays an unusual phenomenon - shot extravagantly over.
Just after the quarter-hour, David Clarkson passed to Magnacca whose speed of turn bewildered his marker after showing he had tenacity as well as touch earlier in the move when he battled to win, then hold, the ball.
"For a spell in the first half, I thought they got the better of us," said Kosmina. "Magnacca up front was causing us a few problems."
Strikers, however, held their nerve and began to come into the contest from midway through the half. The early pressure had been seen off.
Paul Foster robbed Trimboli mid-pitch then set Jeromy Harris free to shoot from long range, but wide. Harris was to be substituted with an injury early in the second half, and with his absence, so too went Strikers' more dangerous forays.
And as if to emphasise how the scales had tipped, Foster himself found the ball at his feet within shooting range, requiring Chris Jones to spring into action to hold safely.
Magnacca was a revelation in this game, able to turn whichever Strikers' marker was assigned the task to shadow him with ease, and using his speed to find dangerous positions. His substitution for Vaughan Coveny just after the hour had the crowd on its feet both booing Postecoglou's decision to bring him off, and cheering in acclamation of Magnacca's efforts.
"Magnacca did well," said Postecoglou. "He hasn't played a lot for us this year. We looked pretty tired last week against Canberra so I though (I'd introduce) some fresh legs. He did well for the hour he played.
"It was probably the second game he's started all (season). He did a good job for us."
Strikers faced unstinting pressure throughout the second half, but remained resolute, breaking away when the opportunities arose, keeping South's defenders from effectively joining the siege.
Trimboli and especially Anastasiadis both had solid chances, but failed to get past Bolton Anastasiadis' chance perhaps being the best of the night, when he spooned over the bar from the edge of the six-yard box after Iosifides' driven cross from the right.
Goran Lozanovski, entering the field as a late substitute for Trimboli, but playing wide on the right had an opportunity after the expiry of regulation time when he shot from distance, but Bolton managed to beat it out.
Right at the death, Strikers had the chance to launch a smash-and-grab raid of their own. Shane Stefanutto had won a ball deep in his defensive half on the left, and ran upfield as the ball was played to Jade North wide on the right. North sent in a cross after making a run to where Stefanutto met it, sending it to Peter Dwyer, only to hit Dwyer and watch the ball deflect wide of the post.