PORT Saints coach Darrell Pascoe wasn't too disappointed despite his side's 2-1 Coastal Premier League season-opening defeat to Macleay Valley on Saturday.
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Saints looked half a step off the pace all afternoon although they had their chances to share the points.
They trailed 2-0 midway through the second half before Mike Finlayson pulled a goal back to set up a thrilling finish, but it wasn't to be.
"We're probably a little bit off the pace as far as our preparation goes and at times we got a bit bogged down, they pressed us and trapped us on the edges, but there are ways to get out of that," Pascoe said.
"The boys just need a little bit more time on the ball to find those penetrating passes and once they do that they'll be fine."
In the end, the one-goal victory was a fair indication of the match.
"There were a couple of little chances we had, but 2-1 was a fair result; they were the better team for more of the game than we were," Pascoe admitted.
"I wasn't disappointed at all and I thought we went okay.
"We knew they were going to be strong and they're stronger this year than they were last year right across the paddock."
Saints' fitness started to tell late in the first half, but the coach was pleased with how his side responded after the break.
"The last 20 minutes of the second half I thought anything could have happened, but full credit to them they scrambled when they had to," the coach said.
"We were a little bit young in the centre of the paddock."
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