Phoenix football coach Mark Rudan has come to the defence of Steven Taylor, after the Englishman's howler against the Brisbane Roar on Sunday.
In the early moments of the game, the former Newcastle United defender had a pass laid right to his feet with an open goal ahead of him, but sprayed the shot wide from less than a metre out.
The miss proved costly, as the game produced few other opportunities for either team, with the contest finishing a 0-0 draw at Suncorp Stadium.
New coach Rudan was initially concerned about the impact the miss would have on Taylor.
"He was bitterly disappointed," said Rudan." He should've scored that and he knows that as well.
"I was looking at him for a good five minutes, because he was sort of all over the shop - he knew what a chance that was."
"I'd have been more disappointed if it was a striker. It's a proper defender miss, isn’t it?"
But the 32-year-old's ability to bounce back impressed Rudan, as the Australian offered a philosophical assessment of the incident.
"Those chances can happen in the opening minutes and the last few minutes. I think, more important was the resolve and the resilience that Steven [Taylor] showed.
"I made it really clear to the players that we'll all make mistakes in a game, including myself.
"But it's what you do thereafter, and I thought that's where he showed his real leadership qualities and the type of character that he is.
"He worked extremely hard, he continued to communicate. He was right behind his teammates, he put his body on the line - that’s important. That is more important than what happened in the early moments of the game."
The draw was still good enough to give the Phoenix a share of the A-League lead after two rounds of play.
They now return to Wellington, where they'll face the Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday.
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