The men from the MIA were a step up from their dismal showing against the Sharks but failed to convert against Mark Mellish’s young charges, slumping to a 1-0 defeat at Hall Bros Oval over the weekend.

Leeton’s failure to capitalise on opportunities in a scoreless 90 minutes proved costly at the death.

The visitors made a meal of clearing from their danger zone and gifted the Lions an own goal with two minutes of injury time remaining.

“We just tried to clear it and the ball skewed off the boot into our goals,” Trifogli said.

“I couldn’t believe it … but we honestly played so badly.

“There were some good patches but most of it wasn’t great.

“I don’t know if they’re still thinking about that last game (against Lake Albert) but it was like our heads were still on the bus.”

The absence of suspended players Scott Munro and Dan McKenzie was keenly felt and preparations were further soured when Adam Raso pulled out of the game.

Mellish had limited sympathy for his opponents’ own goal plight, arguing his side deserved the win.

“It was a difficult game and there weren’t a lot of chances for either side … but I’d be disappointed if we hadn’t won it in the end,” he said.

“We stuck to our game plan and we made plenty of high percentage plays which gave us a few opportunities, so I think we deserved the three points.

“We still had to work for it because Leeton are one of the best-drilled sides in the competition and they don’t play badly even if they’re off their game.”

The 1-0 result sees Young slot into fourth on the Pascoe Cup ladder while Leeton drops two places to sixth.

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