Coach slams 'disgraceful' attacks on young star

Sydney FC coach Ufuk Talay has slammed "disgraceful" social media backlash received by young striker Patrick Wood following his unfortunate miss in last weekend's A-League clash with Central Coast.

The 21-year-old had a golden opportunity to score against the Mariners in the first half last Saturday night, but his wide-open shot was sprayed wide in unbelievable fashion.

Footage of the botched chance went viral on social media across the globe, with some branding it "the worst in history" and one of the commentators on Paramount Plus describing the moment as "peak A-League" during the broadcast. 

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The scrutiny suffered by Wood has left a sour taste in Talay's mouth, who sent a message to the critics during a media conference on Thursday.

"People forget that he's still 21. He's still very young and these moments are going to happen. It won't be the first and it won't be the last," the manager said.

"Some comments and some messages that have been sent to him have been quite disgraceful, to be honest. It's hard - especially if they're direct messages straight into your inbox - not to read them.

"[People] need to be a little more respectful. It's quite poor, to be honest. A player that gives his all every time he puts on the shirt and plays with a lot of pride.

"Players make mistakes, coaches make mistakes, referees make mistakes. We're all human, we're not robots, we're not going to get it right 100 per cent every time.

"I think it's very disappointing to be able to receive those messages."

Wood has been a rising star in the Sky Blue jumper in recent years after coming through the club's youth system.

And in the wake of his squandered chance, Wood is now set for an extended period on the sidelines, with Sydney FC confirming he will miss up to three months.

"I understand that we live in the public eye ... but also what they don't see is the side of where he's had a stress fracture in his ankle for quite a few weeks," Talay said.

"He's been playing through it with the pain, but unfortunately, he's made it worse in this game and now we'll lose Patty for possibly 12 weeks."

Sydney FC will look to further entrench themselves in the A-League's top six when they face Adelaide United on Saturday night.