After a dour first half in front of the 7559 fans at AAMI Park, City took the lead in the 55th minute when a Josh Brilliante long-range effort bounced off the post, into the back of an otherwise excellent Jamie Young and into the net.

Having until then taken a relentlessly conservative approach to the game – it taking until the 72nd minute for them to register their first shot on target – the sudden hole in which Roar found themselves in sprung them to life.

But in the end, their attempt proved too little, too late as the hosts did enough to hold out for the three points.

“We try to increase and develop a lot of things to score,” City Head Coach Erick Mombaerts said post-game.

“The first way, the first idea is to play and score in positions of attack. But we also try to score in counter and also offensive set-pieces.

“We work on them all. Sometimes in this game, we can make the difference on set pieces.”

Fowler said post-game: “Football is football,

“You can never be frustrated about the other team’s tactics, they’ll have a game plan and try to work out the opposition, as we do.

“I think [his own frustration was] more frustration about the referees and the fourth official. I think the consistency that they show is not good enough.

“The amount of people that come up to me and they query the A-League and a lot of them just say I think the standards of the referees need to be better A lot of people say that to me.

“Some of the decisions tonight were quite poor. The free-kick for the goal, our player won the ball. There was a challenge just a minute before half time, our player gets his shirt pulled [by Luna] and there should have been a yellow card. Second half the same player [Luna] pulls a player back and gets a yellow card.

“So, there’s been no consistency tonight and I think it’s been a general consensus of referees throughout the season.”

Nonetheless, there was a change in the air at AAMI Park, with  Roar appearing dangerous when forced to come out of their shells and chase the game after going down.

It was a welcome change, with the men in orange pressing high, running hard and showing desperation that had been lacking until then.

Further chances followed, with an air of nervousness clearly descending upon the home fans, but in the end, the fast-finishing Roar couldn’t convert.

“I want to congratulate Rostyn [Griffiths],” Mombaerts said.

“He did very well he was maybe one of our best players today.”