Consistency still the biggest killer as Wolves go down to strugglers Spirit

With this in mind, a 1-0 loss to a side 11 points behind them on the ladder prior to the game would not have pleased the coach.

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The Wolves couldn't manage to find the back of the net in their National Premier League NSW Men's round 14 clash against NWS Spirit, just six days after scoring five in front of home fans against the Mariners last round.

Christie Park was of course the scene of one of the games of the season in 2023 when NWS Spirit scored three late goals to beat Carney's team 5-4 in an all-time classic.

Whilst the 2024 edition was a shadow of that game, the loss for the Wolves was equally as damaging.

The defeat sees the Wolves fall further behind the finals pack, with Blacktown five points ahead of them in sixth place with a game in hand, to be played on Sunday, May 12 against Marconi.

It was a cagey first opening half-hour to say the least, with both teams bereft of chances. The best of the first half came to Wolves captain Lachlan Scott with a snapshot from distance just over the bar in the 37^th minute.

In truth the first half was not one for the neutral, with neither team able to get any form or cohesion going. The first 45 ended without either team side registering a shot on target.

The Wolves finished the first half the stronger and kicked on in the second half. In the 56th minute, striker Sebastian Hernandez found himself in some space on the left edge of the box and let fly a shot which forced a simple diving save from Spirit goalkeeper Christopher Marques.

It was even more frustrating for Carney's men that the home side took the lead out of nothing shortly after they heaped constant attacking pressure on the Spirit defence.

A high defensive line from the Wolves saw Jesse Michel played in by Jarred McKinley and the NWS Spirit striker made no mistake, powering the ball through Vedran Janjetovic's legs to make it 1-0.

Now the Wolves needed to come out of the blocks and they were more expansive in attack.

Midfielder Chris McStay started with a thunderbolt from around 30 yards which caused a spectacular save from Marques.

Takumi Ofuka was dangerous down the left, and he set McStay up via a cross which the number 88 should have done better with as the game entered the 80^th minute.

The Wolves went down fighting, but in the end, Spirit held on for a vital victory in their battle to stay out of the relegation scrap.

The Wolves will once again be away from home in round 15 with a long trip to Cromer Park to take on Manly on Saturday, May 18. Kickoff will be 7:15pm.