Australia's head coach Aurelio Vidmar reacts during their 2012 London Olympic Games third qualifying round soccer match against Iraq at the Al-Arabi Stadium in Doha November 22, 2011. REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad (QATAR - Tags: SPORT SOCCER)
(Reuters) - Melbourne City coach Aurelio Vidmar is hoping Saturday's 0-0 draw with derby rivals Melbourne Victory can bring an end to a poor run of form that has jeopardised his team's hopes of a place in the A-League finals.
City, the reigning A-League Premiers, have been the competition's dominant force in recent years, finishing on top of the regular season standings in each of the last three campaigns and appearing in four consecutive Grand Finals.
But a run of one win in six games, including a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of the Brisbane Roar last Saturday, has seen Vidmar's side drop to seventh place and outside the berths for the end-of-season finals.
"It's horrendous, the month or five weeks that we've had, but I think this was a nice positive sign," said Vidmar, who replaced Rado Vidosic as head coach in November.
"We've had a couple of heavy weeks over the last fortnight and from the intent you can really see that (the players) were up for it. And if you're not up for it in a derby then you've got a problem.
"We've got to try to keep this momentum, try to keep this intensity working as a group. I think that was a much better sign tonight."
The draw moved City onto 22 points from 17 games, 11 points adrift of leaders Wellington Phoenix and three behind Western Sydney Wanderers, who occupy the sixth and final qualifying spot for the championship playoffs.
"Pleased with our guys, for sure, on the back of what happened last week," Vidmar said of a performance that saw City fail to concede for the first time in three games.
"Really pleased with the commitment, the intensity, the way they worked together. Got to give a lot of compliments to the team for that. They dug in deep.
"From where we came from last week, it was a massive difference."
(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
