Western United's finals hopes took a blow after a disappointing 1-0 loss to the Brisbane Roar in Ballarat on Sunday.
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The match had the billing of a blockbuster, with United looking to re-enter the finals picture against the red-hot Roar. But it failed to live up to its crowd-pleasing potential, in what was a sloppy game of football.
Fans didn't mind however, with many purists turning out in support of the green and black.
A crowd of 2973 made themselves heard in the first-half as the home side dominated much of the play.
Early scoring opportunities from Max Burgess and Oskar Dillion had the United faithful on the edge of their seat inside the opening minutes. Both attempts missed the mark.
It was the closest the team would come to scoring, as the Roar silenced onlookers. A second-half goal to Mirza Muratovic, off a United turnover, was enough to snatch the game for Brisbane.
"I thought we were the better team for the first-half," Rudan said after the match.
"We didn't execute what we worked on during the week and that was disappointing."
The club left the city four points out of finals contention.
Western United used Sunday's match as an opportunity to engage the community throughout the week, before staying overnight on Friday.
The week prior, the club played a practice match against Ballarat City's senior team. Rudan was full of praise for the talent on display.
"Take the scoreline away and there were some really good young players," he said.
Rudan said the club intended to keep an eye on Ballarat as a potential hotbed for young talent.
"We've made a mark in this area and it gives hope to boys and girls," he said.
"We don't want anyone to slip through our fingers."