Sport
Zebras coach blames lack of quality for 1-0 defeat
Cody Winnell
06May08
THE Whittlesea Zebras suffered their second successive Premier League defeat on Saturday night, losing to a desperate Coburg United 1-0.
After an impressive month, with four unbeaten games which saw the Zebras climb out of the relegation zone, two consecutive losses have left the club six points away from the top six and just a win from the drop zone.
Zebras coach Peter Ollerton was blunt, conceding his team lacked the quality to contest finals.
"Both teams were very poor," Ollerton said.
"We just don't have any quality; we're a side that gets by on grit.
"Where other sides are improving, we're not, and we don't have the quality players that will make things happen for us.
"I'm not making excuses, but we're just a bottom-six to bottom-eight team and we can't even contemplate making the finals," Ollerton added.
Despite enjoying long spells of possession at Knights Stadium, the Zebras came undone in the second half when a deflected strike found its way past Robert Simioni and into the back of the net.
The important goal was Coburg's ninth in 11 matches and ended an eight-game winless run for the league newcomers.
With the transfer window opening midway through the week, Ollerton has also conceded that his side needs a handful of new players to remain competitive.
"I can't fault the players that came in this year because they're trying their best, but I think we need four or five new players, or else the club will be facing relegation.
"The club has spoken to one or two players, but we can't say anything at this stage.
"If we don't strengthen during the transfer window, it's going to be a long, tough year," added Ollerton.
The Zebras will be looking to bounce back when they host South Melbourne at Epping Stadium on Sunday.
Kick-off is at 5pm.
