Brisbane Roar coach Warren Moon is happy with his side's 1-1 draw with Adelaide United, saying it was a match they would have lost last season.
What pleased Moon the most at Redcliffe on Friday night was even though the match did not go to plan early, he was able to make changes with the players who came on changing the flow of the game.
Henry Hore and Australia U23 representatives Carlo Armiento and Joe Knowles came off the bench to make a genuine impact on the match and showcase the improved depth in the Roar squad this season.
It was Armiento who won a 94th-minute penalty for Jay O'Shea to convert that got the Roar a valuable point to take them to seven competition points, keeping them in the A-League finals hunt.
"When they came on Carlo, Henry and Joe did exactly what I wanted them to. They all had an impact," Moon said.
"Last year our squad was too young and we had key players missing but this year people need to play well to stay in the side.
"I have headaches when I pick the 11 and that is a great thing for me. Everyone needs to be (in form) all the time because if you are not someone is going to take your spot."
Moon conceded the Roar "weren't good enough" early but his substitutes delivered.
Instead of settling for a draw, in the last two minutes of stoppage time the Roar continued to search for the winning goal.
"We wanted to grab all the points. In the end we haven't won the game and we are disappointed but if I look at last year that is probably a game we would have lost," Moon said.
"We have still only lost once all season and we are confident we will go on a run, pick up points quickly and shoot up the ladder."
