Lions recruit Gary Davidson battles Springvale City’s Kajim Omerdic in a bid to clear the ball. By Paul Pickering
BERWICK City has slipped out of the promotion bracket in State League Division Three South-East after lowering its colours to Springvale City on Saturday.
The 2-1 loss saw the Lions surrender second spot to the Vales in a game they could have pencilled in for three points a fortnight ago.
Then, Springvale City had lost four consecutive games and accepted the resignation of its first-year coach.
But under the guidance of team manager and stand-in coach Eddie Hadziefendic, the Vales seem to have rediscovered the form that had them leading the division after five rounds.
The visitors struck first 10 minutes in when a mid-pitch interception led to a series of precision passes and an opportunistic tap-in from striker Mrza Pedic at the back post.
Berwick equalised when Wayne Schembri got on the end of well-taken free kick midway through the first half, but the margin was restored after Franco Bove finished a classy solo run by netting the Vales’ second two minutes later.
Predictably, the Lions were stung into action after half-time, but a resilient Springvale City defence held strong to deny its opponents an equalising goal.
For coach Joe Carroll and his young Lions, the loss was an untimely stumble in a three-game home stretch that should have allowed them to keep touch with the ladder-leading Morwell Pegasus.
Instead, Berwick City is now nine points adrift in fourth spot after Morwell accounted for last-placed Endeavour United 2-0 at Reema Reserve.
While Endeavour was far from disgraced on Saturday, its fourth-straight loss provided no respite for frustrated coach Carlos Retre.
Elsewhere in Division Three South-East, Doveton played out a 2-2 draw at North Caulfield to consolidate its position mid-table.
Goals to Leon Buhic and Marc Davidson either side of half-time allowed the Doves to salvage one point from Sunday fixture.
Meanwhile, in Division Two South-East, the Casey Comets travelled to Frankston’s Centenary Park to face the winless Peninsula Strikers.
David Terek, Ben Watson and Paul Presti all found the back of the net for the Comets as the visitors turned a 2-0 half-time lead into a 3-1 advantage at the final whistle.
The real test for Casey will come this Saturday when it hosts ladder leader Northcote City at Comets Stadium.
Round 12 match-ups: Division Two South-East: Northcote City at Casey Comets. Division Three South-East: Doveton at Heatherton United, Southern Suburbs at Berwick City, Endeavour United at Brandon Park.
