Melbourne Victory coach Kevin Muscat wants to put behind him the comments he made earlier in the week about A-League referee Shaun Evans following a 2-0 loss to Melbourne City in the FFA Cup semi-final.
Muscat let loose post-match when ambiguity surrounded whether offside Melbourne City player Tim Cahill interfered with play when Luke Brattan struck from long range, as the linesman originally adjudged before Evans overuled.
Muscat copped a $5000 fine for his comments after the game when he said there was confusion over the decision and accused the whistle blower of applying two sets of rules.
But he says he wants to forget about the controversy and focus on facing Wellington Phoenix at Etihad Stadium on Monday night.
“I’ll get through tomorrow’s game and then I’ll work out where we go from there," Muscat said. "It’s disappointing, but at some point in time someone has to stand up for what they believe in.
“What I said – I accept I could’ve chosen different words, my intentions weren’t to offend or question the integrity of the referee, I just felt I had to stand up for the players because that’s what I believed at the time.
“It’s gone now, I’d rather move on because it’s irrelevant now, I felt at the time something needed to be said.”
Muscat insisted his focus would be agaisnt Ernie Merrick's men and so far Victory have lost all their games at home.
He ruled out captain Carl Valeri due to soreness around the hamstring, however James Troisi will most likely start on the bench after a collar bone injury.
The Victory boss also said he was impressed with midfielder Rashid Mahazi who may start tomorrow night.
And while Victory is yet to pick any points at home, the Phoenix has failed to score and Muscat was looking forward to the encounter.
“I think if you look back at this fixture in the past and our games against Wellington I think there’ll be quite a few chances at both ends,” he said.
“We want to be a little bit more aggressive in that front third. It’s an accumulation of things, probably better at retaining possession of the ball.
“I think we have improved and increased in that area, then it gives you more of an opportunity to get you into those areas in the front third.
“Different games pose different problems in terms of where you’ve been pressed and teams dropping off.
“I haven’t paid too much attention to it (home record), it’s irrelevant, the fact or stat is not going to determine the outcome of the result tomorrow night. The team’s performance will determine the outcome of the result and we’re looking forward to putting in a strong, positive and attacking performance.”
Former Victory and now Wellington players Kosta Barbarouses and Gui Finkler return to their old home ground after enjoying a successful time at Victory.
“Kosta’s a good player, both him and Gui have shared some great memories at this football club,” he said.
“I’m sure our members and fans will appreciate it and show them the respect they deserve for their time at Melbourne Victory.”
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