But the footballing gods were not smiling on them and the ball just wouldn't fall right, preventing them from picking up those much needed goals that would have seen them safely to victory.
It was a clearly frustrated Athletic that battled out the final 10 minutes of the match, still slogging away and continuing to probe the opposition's defences yet ultimately still falling short at the final hurdle.
Athletic really could have done with at least getting some reward from their match, with this coming weekend's long away journey to Gisborne sure to be a massive test on the morale of the flailing first team.
The Athletic Reserves were unable to put together any sort of consistent effort in their 8-0 loss to the Red Sox Manawatu A's, falling only two goals short of the scoreline they recorded in the last meeting.
It seemed the Reserves were unable to find anything to allow themselves to threaten Red Sox's goal, nor were they able to find a way to stem the flow of goals in the first half.
With the scoreline sitting at 6-0 at the half time break, it appears it was Red Sox who took the foot off the throat in the second half, sparing the young development side from further embarrassments or a much larger score.
The Reserves need to quickly pull up their socks, and have an honest and frank look at where they might have gone wrong in this match if they're to prepare properly for the coming weekend's home fixture against Levin.
They have shown as a unit they have the ability to bounce back after a heavy defeat, and it was Levin they battled out to a 1-all draw after their substantial opening game defeat, so they will need to work hard for each other if they are to repeat that effort.
This time, however, it will not just be a comeback they fight for. It will be for club pride, as well as their own accountability
