BALLARAT Red Devils have been relegated from the National Premier Leagues Victoria in the cruelest possible fashion.
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A 95th-minute Port Melbourne equaliser against Werribee, combined with a 2-0 loss to Oakleigh Cannons on Sunday, has sent the Red Devils packing.
The three clubs battled it out to avoid relegation in a thrilling final home and away round.
Ballarat, despite its loss, held the positional advantage for most of the day.
As usual, the Red Devils had their share of chances, with Paul Harvey, Sean Harding and Deng Aguek all missing solid opportunities to score in the opening half.
The two sides entered the break at 0-0.
The Red Devils were sent down to second-last spot on the live ladder when Oakleigh’s Dusan Bosnjak sent a side-footed-volley into the back of the net at the 62-minute mark.
A miraculous Werribee goal less than 10 minutes later in the other encounter saw the Sharks replace the Red Devils in the dreaded relegation seat.
The Cannons scored again in the 86th minute, with Ballarat still safe courtesy of Werribee’s lead and its own healthy goal differential.
The Reds entered the final round needing only a draw or a favourable loss to retain its spot.
Only if Werribee and Port Melbourne were to draw would Ballarat need to secure a point of its own for a place in the 2015 season.
It wasn’t until the final 10 seconds of the match that the Sharks scored to grind out a 1-1 draw, and seal Ballarat’s fate.
Cue the Hollywood ending. Cue the Red Devils’ heartbreak.
Red Devils player manager James Robinson told Football Federation Victoria that he was “immensely proud” of his players after the match.
“(We’ve had our) backs up against the wall right from the very start but that’s where we’re at and where we’ve come from,” Robinson said.
“It’s (the relegation) a culmination of not just one game, it’s 26.”
Robinson lamented his side’s inability to control its own destiny in the final round.
“(In the) 96th, 97th minute (sic) – you leave it into the hands of the football gods,” he said.
“We knew today if we got a draw or a win (then) it was in our control – we’ve come away with a loss today, and we’ve left it in somebody else’s hands.
“You don’t want that. You always want to be in control of your own destiny.”
The only other regional side to compete in this year’s maiden NPLV season, the Goulburn Valley Suns, will join the Red Devils in the NPLV1 division next year.
