The Wanderers held fancied opponents Hurstville City FC scoreless in the first half and looked positive in attack before a 60-second brain fade early in the second stanza saw the hosts reduced to 10 men.

Antonio Vastono received two yellow cards in less than a minute and was promptly handed his marching orders in the 46^th minute, frustrating Wanderers coach Ross Morgan.

“Obviously going forwards, the key for us is to keep 11 players on the pitch for a full game,” Morgan said.

“I thought it was a great performance in the first half in which we kept possession and even outperformed Hurstville FC but it’s impossible to win games when players get sent off, especially that early on.”

Wagga was handed a second red card in the 90th minute as Caylum Barber joined Vastono on the pine after receiving his second yellow card, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom for the Wanderers.

Stuart Smeeth and Ryan McGinty produced strong showings on their home paddock while Damion Patterson received the nod from his fellow players after leading the team from the back.

Morgan is still seeking the finishing touch from his young side and will continue searching for a potential striker.

“It’s just having that scoring target up front for us ...we haven’t had an out and out striker this season,” Morgan said.

“If we can find somebody going forward, that would really changes the game for us.”

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