With the Frisians now resigned to playing for a UEFA Cup place, Heerenveen ace Michael Bradley has admitted that the team fell just short of their own expectations this season.

Despite adding five point and a whopping 28 goals scored to last term's marks, the Blue White Vikings once again finished fifth in the Eredivisie table - and once again, were ousted from the Champions League playoff by second place Ajax.

"For us to finish in fifth place, the way we played this season, was the worst we could have done," sighed Bradley to American Soccer Daily.

The US international, who paced the club with 15 league goals, realizes that the squad will have several annoying results to think about over the summer.

"We missed a little bit of consistency," conceded Bradley. "We missed a little luck at times. When you go through a long season, you need those little breaks at the right time."

For example, avoiding a four-goal second half meltdown in a 4-2 loss at Sparta Rotterdam in the next-to-last week of the regular season would have seen Heerenveen finish in third place.

Still, the one that seems to irk Bradley the most is an admirable-to-most 1-all share at champs PSV Eindhoven in February - a game that the visitors repeatedly bent but failed to break the Farmers.

The northerners were at the time on a four-game win streak and threatening to assume the role of lead title chasers. Despite a yeoman's effort and a thrilling 52nd minute equalizer from the young American, the draw served as the start of a stretch of four winless games he feels derailed their season hopes.

"We go to PSV, and Gomes has the best game he'll have all season, just stands on his head," he recalled, still shaking his head nearly three full months later. "He saves everything that comes his way and steals a point for them."

Now, Heerenveen will battle technical director Earnie Stewart's NAC Breda for a UEFA Cup return. Several people in the clubhouse are set to move on in the summer - including Bradley and coach Gertjan Verbeek - but the two-way midfielder's team voice does not shake when discussing their final two games.

"We have to play the way we can play," he stated. "They certainly have good qualities, but at the same time, I think one of the things we've had going for us is we're not to scared to play our game. I think we have to just keep doing that."