Werribee City produced one of its most important wins in the club’s recent history in the final round of the Victorian Premier League 2 season.
The battle to avoid relegation was one of the stories of the VPL2 season, with as many as seven clubs potentially staring down the barrel of relegation late in the season.
The Bees put together two wins before a loss in second last round meant everything was on the line in the final round against bottom side Pascoe Vale.
A 1-0 win was enough for the Bees to avoid the bottom three.
Bees coach Craig Moore said there was a lot of relief that the group had done enough to survive.
“The boys did well,” he said. “They won three of their last four games.
“They bought into it and we finished ninth in the end. It was in our own hands the last two rounds, but lost the first one.
“It was disappointing, I think the boys responded and were focused on going out and getting a positive result.”
Moore said while they were pleased to get the win and stay up in the VPL2 competition, the season hadn’t been what they envisaged.
He said they were disappointed with how it all played out.
“We had expectations and they were a lot more than what we achieved,” he said. “We had some significant injuries and we were disappointed we didn’t turn our home into a bit more of a fortress.
“That will be our aim going forward, looking to be more consistent at home and turn it into a tough place to come.”
Moore said had they been relegated back to the state league 1 north-west competition it would have been a disaster.
“It is huge and especially in terms of recruitment and for the junior set up,” he said. “We’re trying to change the identity of the club and that is to be consistent over a period of time.
“Dropping down to state league would have been really disappointing and it would have been a challenge in the future.”
Moore said while they didn’t get the results this season, the playing group stayed connected and locked in right until the end.
“We really put in even if they weren’t picked and they supported their teammates,” he said.
“They’re realising the club is different from other clubs.”
Moore said they want to further consolidate their playing group while adding some more pieces to help them go up the ladder.
He said they felt this year was a good place to launch from.
“There’s a real clear understanding of what we want to do and how we fine tune this.
“It’s a good challenge.”
