Sydney FC defender Alex Wilkinson bemoans tough A-League loss to Melbourne Victory

Sydney FC defender Alex Wilkinson has dubbed his side’s first reverse of the season as ‘a hard one to take’, but admitted they needed to raise their game after a frustrating loss to Melbourne Victory.

Alex Wilkinson tries to come to terms with Ola Toivonen. Picture: AAP.

Sydney FC defender Alex Wilkinson has dubbed his side’s first reverse of the season as “a hard one to take”, but admitted they needed to raise their game after a frustrating loss to Melbourne Victory.

FIRE AND FURY: The Big Blue has a bit of everything

Two defensive errors gifted Victory the goals that earned a 2-1 win at Jubilee Stadium, and allowed Kevin Muscat’s side to climb above Sydney into second place.

Noting the visitors’ paucity of shots on goal, Wilkinson bemoaned the concession of “rubbish” goals but said there were plus points for his team to build upon.

Victory’s first was a goal for Ola Toivonen on his starting debut, and helped enormously by being left unmarked as Sydney’s defenders moved en masse to challenge Kosta Barbarouses.

Alex Wilkinson tries to come to terms with Ola Toivonen. Picture: AAP.

A slight deflection from the foot of Jop van der Linden helped Toivonen score, while van der Linden later conceded a penalty for Victory’s second goal with a clumsy foul on Keisuke Honda.

“I don't think we deserved to lose when Victory had two shots on goal and scored two goals,” said Wilkinson.

“The first one on the counter-attack was down to miscommunication (in Sydney’s back four) and then a deflection to top it all off. Then the pen's a pen.

“We definitely didn't deserve to lose it, in the first half we were good and moved them around well.

“We were completely on top, but conceded a rubbish goal – we got back into the game and finished the half decently.

“The second half was a bit scrappy, a bit of a battle for both teams with not too many clear-cut chances. Then they got the pen and we couldn't grab one back.

“We can take a few positives out of the first half but in the second half we needed to be a bit better. We didn't play like we can, didn't move them from side to side like we did in the first half. But it's still a hard one to take.”

Get every match of the 2018/19 Hyundai A-League LIVE. SIGN UP NOW!

Originally published as Sydney FC defender Alex Wilkinson bemoans tough A-League loss to Melbourne Victory