Blown game leaves team in limbo

By Stuart Teather
BERWICK City is in no man’s land after its State League Three South East clash with Springvale City on Saturday, with the referee calling the game off minutes before the end.
Berwick was trailing 1-0 late in the second half and had missed two penalties when the referee blew the whistle for a third, prompting an angry reaction from the Springvale players.
Springvale’s bench players ran on to the pitch and security followed them on to protect the referee, and after a number of minutes the official pointed to the dressing rooms, ending the match.
Berwick City coach Joe Carrol said the incident was bizarre.
“We were losing 1-0, it’s very unusual for the team winning to invade the pitch,” he said.
Berwick had been outplayed in the first half but was working its way back into the clash in the second, when the game was abandoned.
The side desperately needed the three points to stay a game clear of Noble Park United for a promotion spot, but with the game called off no one knows what the result will be.
We couldn’t take the penalty so we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Carrol said.
“I don’t know whether there’s been a precedent because the team winning harassed the referee, it’s normally the other way around.”
The next two games are crucial for Berwick City, taking on the lowly Sandringham City this week before finishing the season against eighth-placed North Caulfield.
Meanwhile the Casey Comets have all but completed their quest to avoid relegation from State League Two South East following a 2-0 win against Morwell Pegasus on Saturday.
The Comets now hold a four-point buffer ahead of South Springvale and can guarantee their place for next season with a win this Saturday against the ladder-leading Doncaster Rovers.
In Provisional League One South East, Doveton and Endeavour United both lost 2-1, to Fitzroy City and Monbulk respectively, and the teams now occupy both the relegation spots in the division.