A 3-1 half-time lead wasn’t enough as Ballarat Red Devils let slip a golden chance to move to third on the National Premier Leagues Victoria 1 west table.
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The Reds drew 3-3 with Moreland City, which struck a late equaliser to take a share of the points in Saturday’s catch-up round bout at Morshead Park.
With the two teams looking to climb the table following third-placed St Albans Saints’ loss to Melbourne City, defender David King got Ballarat off to the perfect start when he found the back of the net after just 12 seconds.
The visitors hit back through Ossie Kose in the 32nd minute, before Ballarat again went ahead thanks to a goal less than 60 seconds later to Dom Swinton.
Josh Romein then gave the Reds a handsome lead at the break after he scored with the final kick of the first half.
Moreland City wasn’t to be denied, however, and closed the gap through Nej Sahin, who scored in the 62nd minute, before the visitors snatched a point thanks to Kam Simsek.
The second-half substitute tied the scores in the 85th minute before a golden opportunity went begging for the City boys to steal the match.
Ballarat manager James Robinson said the 3-3 scoreline was a fair result and one both teams would feel happy and disappointed with.
Robinson said his team was clinical with its chances in the first half and admitted the visitors were “on top of us” after the break.
“At the end of the game, we’ve got a few sore bodies and a few things we need to get rectify before next week’s game against Springvale,” Robinson said.
Four yellow cards were handed out by the referee, with Swinton and Aaron Romein both booked for Ballarat.
Robinson made three substitutions in the second half, with Dechlan Picken, Dejan Mitrovic and Joshua De Voogel all given game time.
Saturday’s match was played because of the missed round 15 fixture.
And the result leaves Ballarat fourth on the west division table, goal difference clear of Moreland City and nine points behind leaders Bulleen Lions.
Six matches remain in the season, with the Reds now eyeing a trip to take on Springvale White Eagles next Saturday before returning home for a showdown with Brunswick City.
Also on Saturday, the Ballarat under-20 side landed a 2-1 victory against Moreland City.
