Soccer-City forwards need time to play together, says Kisnorbo

Melbourne City coach Patrick Kisnorbo is hoping a two-month run without international football will allow his forward line to click after the A-League champions kicked off the defence of their title on Friday with a narrow 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar.

Melbourne City coach Patrick Kisnorbo is hoping a two-month run without international football will allow his forward line to click after the A-League champions kicked off the defence of their title on Friday with a narrow 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar. First half strikes from Curtis Good and Connor Metcalfe gave Kisnorbo's side a two-goal lead at the interval before Luke Ivanovic halved the deficit with 19 minutes remaining.

But Socceroos forwards Mathew Leckie, Jamie Maclaren and Andrew Nabbout were unable to find the target for City in the first game of the new campaign and Kisnorbo feels the trio need more time to reach their potential. "It was just good to get them back, good to give them some minutes and get continuity and to play together all three of them because we haven't had that in this season," he said.

"Even in the practice games, I think we've had one like that. Preparation's been difficult in the connection in the front three, so it was great for them to all play tonight." Leckie, who joined City from Hertha Berlin in June, and Maclaren both returned to Melbourne on Wednesday after featuring in Graham Arnold's squad during World Cup qualifiers against Saudi Arabia in Sydney and China in the United Arab Emirates.

Nabbout, meanwhile, was part of the squad for the game in Sydney before chosing to return to his club rather than make the long-haul trip to the Middle East. All three started against Brisbane and, with the Socceroos not due to play against until Jan. 27 when they are scheduled to host Vietnam, Kisnorbo is confident that unbroken spell with enhance his forward line.

"They'll be here until January, when the next (Australia) squad gets called in," he said. "It just breeds continuity and rhythm where they get to train day by day, week by week, everything's settled. "So that helps us but international footballers, this is what they have to do."

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