Just 5437 turned out to watch the Mariners miss a golden opportunity to sneak into the A-League top four as they played out a 0-0 draw with Adelaide United at Canberra Stadium.

But while the coach was frustrated with his side's inability to score, he was upbeat about the crowd and the capital's bid to win the competition's 13th licence.

Football Federation Australia snubbed Canberra's hopes of gaining the 12th licence last month.

There were fears fans would boycott the clash because of the decision, but the crowd increased by almost 300 people compared with the previous game at Canberra Stadium in September.

''It was a great night and everything for football was good,'' McKinna said.

''Every time we've come here it has been fantastic. There was talk of people boycotting but that has nothing to do with us we're here to play football.

''If Belconnen and [Capital Football] want us to come down and promote the game again next year we'll be glad to come back.''

While it wasn't a victory, the goalless draw kept the Mariners' unbeaten four-game record in Canberra intact.

The disappointing crowd dribbled into the stands before kick-off and was greeted with a lacklustre start to the game.

Despite late surges, the players couldn't find a match-winning strike and it left a bitter taste in the coaches' mouths.

For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times