Adelaide United coach Carl Veart has implored his charges to improve in front of goal after having to settle for a point against Macarthur FC following a 1-1 A-League Men draw.
The Reds broke the deadlock on 16 minutes through Ben Halloran with a well-worked goal and classy cross from full back Giuseppe Bovalina.
But the visitors equalised in similar fashion with Kearyn Baccus squaring for Valere Germain on 32 minutes.
United registered 19 shots and spent large chunks of Monday night's match camped in Macarthur's half but only forced Macarthur keeper Filip Kurto into three saves.
Veart was palpably disappointed Adelaide didn't take maximum points.
"We got ourselves into enough good positions but we just didn't make the most of it," he said.
"Our execution wasn't there tonight, some of the times our decision making wasn't right either so we've only got ourselves to blame.
"It's a tough one to take, especially at home because we always want to win and the effort was OK, but we have to be better at home."
United responded well following Macarthur's equaliser and always looked the most likely to score.
And they should have just before half time when Nestory Irankunda drove to the byline and chipped a cross towards the back post which Hiroshi Ibusuki headed just wide when a goal seemed certain.
Veart lamented the miss, admitting the Reds' inability to reward their good play with goals has been a consistent theme so far this campaign and something that must change if Adelaide are to remain on the heels of the top six.
United are currently eighth, two points behind sixth-placed Macarthur.
"That's football isn't it, and it's been costing us all season where we've had good spells in games and haven't really rewarded ourselves and put scoreboard pressure on the opposition," he said.
"If Hiro scores that we go 2-1 up then that second half can be different. They (Macarthur) were very happy just to sit in and defend the second half and they didn't have to come out because we didn't score.
"It's something that we have to have a look at and it's something that we have to be better at if we want to climb this ladder."
Macarthur sat back for much of the contest and absorbed pressure from United, but did pose a threat on the counter, as evidenced by their well-crafted goal and other moments in transition.
Coach Mile Sterjovski felt his side were able to weather the storm and were unlucky not to snatch all three points.
In stoppage time, Matt Jurman forced Reds' keeper James Delianov into a brilliant save, parrying away his goal-bound header.
"It was a tactic just to save legs – we only played on Friday night and to back up on Monday was a big ask for some of the boys," Sterjovski said.
"It was a gameplan we wanted to execute and I thought we did quite well. We created quite a few chances and maybe unlucky in the end not to come away with victory."
