Roar after a cure

Points return, now it’s time for some goals

THE “medicine” of victory was all that mattered to Brisbane Roar after the thrashing they copped in Newcastle, but they are still searching for a cure to their goalscoring ails.

Brisbane produced a solid defensive performance in an otherwise patchy 1-0 weekend win over Central Coast Mariners in Gosford.

It was the grit coach John Aloisi asked for after the previous week’s embarrassing 4-0 loss to the Jets.

However, in attack the Roar continue to lack the ruthlessness and fluency of last season.

Three rounds into the competition and the Roar have scored just two goals.

One was a stoppage-time equaliser from centre-back Luke DeVere and the other was the goal scored by defensive midfielder Thomas Kristensen on Saturday at Central Coast Stadium.

Similar impotency is likely to prove costly in the next two weeks when the Roar host title contenders Perth Glory and Melbourne City at Suncorp Stadium.

“I think what we lacked (in Gosford) was to close the game out,” Kristensen said.

“(If we) would have got the second goal … then it could have been three, four or five, but we kept the game alive by not getting the second goal.

“Then it was a struggle till the end … we need to close a game like that out.”

However, Kristensen said the Roar had at least laid a platform for their season with their weekend victory.

“The win was the most important. We’ve really been longing for that, especially … after the last performance. It was important to bounce back straight away and I think we did that,” he said.

“We still need to improve every game but of course when you consider what we went through (in Newcastle), then the only medicine was to go and get a win.”