There were plenty of tears of disappointment among the Football Ferns squad members in the GSP Stadium in Nicosia late on March 3, after their thrilling ride to the final of the Cyprus Cup came to an end at the hands of Canada, whose 1-0 victory saw them win the trophy for the second time in three years. The Canucks created very few opportunities over the course of the first hour, during which the Football Ferns were stringing passes together for fun at times - not something done too easily against Carolina Morace’s charges. Jenny Bindon had little to do between the sticks, such was the form of Rebecca Smith and Abby Erceg ahead of her, although the ‘keeper did have to deal with a couple of long-range efforts from Jodi-Ann Robinson and Diana Matheson either side of half-time. With twenty minutes remaining, the deadlock was broken, Christine Sinclair taking advantage of some sloppy play by New Zealand’s midfield to set up Matheson, whose rifled twenty yard drive flew into the top corner of the net beyond a stunned Bindon - 1-0 Canada. "We went to sleep for the goal", said Football Ferns coach, John Herdman. "I said to the girls at half-time that the only way Canada would break us down would be on the counter-attack, a real strength of their game. "They weren’t getting in behind us, and the back four was pretty solid - Rebecca Smith and Abby Erceg were doing their jobs well. But we were caught by a sloppy goal which the midfield should have dealt with. "A silly mistake by Katie Hoyle saw us lose possession on half-way, and while Ali Riley managed to head clear initially, Kirsty Yallop’s attempt to flick the ball on fell perfectly for them twenty yards out … really disappointing!" That was all the 2008 Cyprus Cup winners needed, and they held off the Football Ferns’ late flurry to improve on their second placing in last year’s tournament, and take home the trophy once more. "It’s been a really good experience for us", said Herdman, reflecting on the tournament as a whole. "The girls have had a taste of the final, but we just couldn’t put the icing on the cake this time round. "There are lessons to be learnt, of course, the main one being to make sure we can grow through the course of a tournament, and have enough left in the tank to fire when the big games come round. "We need to get a bit more depth so we can afford to change key players during games, or even rest them for the odd match. Failing that, ensure the players are fit enough to play four or more games on the bounce in a tournament environment. "But I’ve no reason to criticise them for their efforts. They’ve done really well throughout the week, and go home with the Golden Boot winner, Amber Hearn, in their midst - that’s an achievement to be proud of, as are their efforts overall". Canada:     Le Blanc (booked, 21); Nault, Chapman, Zurrer, Wilkinson; Parker, Moscato, Matheson; Julien (Raber, 90), Robinson (Scott, 66), Sinclair New Zealand:     Bindon; Riley, Smith, Erceg, Green (Longo, 70); Moorwood (Kete, 80), Hoyle (Hill, 80), Yallop, Wall; Hearn, White (Wilkinson, 70) Referee:     Carina Vitulano (Italy)

John Herdman - proud coach Abby Erceg - did her job well Katie Hoyle - costly mistake