Despite a string of uninspiring results, there are many positives that Heart fans are clinging to as we watch our side continue to develop cohesion and gain experience.

We showed last Friday against Adelaide that we are capable of scoring without the assistance of the opposition and displayed character to drag ourselves back into the contest twice.

Whilst a loss is clearly disappointing, it is reassuring as a supporter to think that we may have come away with a more favourable result had we not turned the ball over to Adelaide with two easily addressed mistakes.

Michael Marrone's misguided touch allowed Matthew Leckie to skilfully knock the ball past Michael Beauchamp who slipped to the ground in the ensuing chase. Leckie then calmly slotted the ball through the legs of Clint Bolton who had rapidly advanced in a desperate attempt to snuff out any chance of danger.

The second Adelaide goal saw Michael Beauchamp inadvertently play through Lucas Pantelis after attempting to tackle Marcos Flores. The Pantelis shot was saved majestically by Clint Bolton who dived and diverted it away from goal with a finger tip. The rebound fell to Ian Ramsay who virtually had an open goal to tap into.

One relatively unknown quantity to most A-League fans is Nick Kalmar. The VPL-experienced 22 year old midfielder has caught the eye of many fans with his impressive touches and smart positioning, three rounds in and he's certainly on the way to becoming a role model for aspiring VPL talent.

Another impressive element on display were Dean Heffernan's overlapping runs from defence; they caused chaos for Adelaide and resulted in our first goal of the match (and first true goal of the season).

Rutger Worm silenced his critics who claimed that he would struggle to score based on his Eredivisie record of 5 goals in 106 matches. A perfectly taken header from a Dean Heffernan pin point cross saw Rutger celebrate by making a Heart shape with his fingers. In the words of Fox Sports' Simon Hill: "After two indifferent performances, the Worm has turned."

Matt Thompson is also improving after two ordinary performances. Reproducing the form which saw him earn the captains armband at the Jets was always going to be tough, especially in a new side where everybody is looking to find their role. He glided down the left wing, taking on Daniel Mullen and beating him with a neat touch and drawing Iain Fyfe before toe poking it to Eli Babalj who showed excellent composure to finish with his instep for our second.

The fight and determination we showed against Adelaide was exciting and we'll need to reproduce this dogged mentality against league leaders Perth this Sunday if we're to become the first Melbourne side to win at AAMI Park.