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Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Dor Micha is disappointed with losing but looks ahead to the rest of the season : "We've still got other crucial matches Ahead of us"

Maccabi Tel Aviv arrived in Ashdod yesterday in an attempt to maintain their lead at the top of the table, but also to get a "monkey off their backs". On the road the Yellows haven't managed to win in their last three attempts and much to their dismay that number rose to four after a 1-0 loss to FC Ashdod. Ya Ya Peti scored the match's only goal in the 59th minute and despite having a number of excellent chances the Yellows couldn't find the net. The loss to Ashdod was the Yellow's fifth of the season, four of them away from Bloomfield.

Maccabi Head Coach Oscar Garcia had this to say after the match: "We were good in the first half, we had a lot of chances. In the second half the game was more in balance, the difference being that they scored and we didn't. If we'd managed to score in the first half the result could have been 0-3 or 1-3 in our favour but we missed accuracy today."

When asked about the refereeing he had this to say: "The referee has a very tough job and just like a head coach or a player, sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don't. The good thing about it is that on the telly everyone can see what actually happened." The Yellow's head coach also reacted briefly to the matches of the other top clubs in the league this week: "It's not really my problem how the other top clubs will fare, I've got my own club to think about."

Dor Micha picked up where his head coach left off and had this to say about the tight race at the top of the league: "We're all aware of the close race at the top, we know the league is very competitive. When it comes down to the crucial stage of the season, the team with the greatest stability will take the points and win. So far the matches on Monday are concerned, both Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel Aviv are in the top spots in the league, so we're not taking sides."

The midfielder also talked about the significance of his side's losing: "No doubt it's a big loss for us, but the road (to the championship) is very long and we still have other decisive matches we'll have to win. Obviously this is not the way we should be playing, we can do much better. We'll simply have to start winning on the road If we want to go all the way."

As to the Yellow fans who filled the terraces in Ashdod he had this to say: "With so many of our own fans pushing us on it felt more like playing at home at Bloomfield than away."