Romein received a yellow card after a minor scuffle with a Melbourne City opponent during the match.

It is his fifth yellow card, meaning he faces an automatic one-week suspension under NPLV rules.

He will miss next week’s crucial clash with Box Hill United, with his spot to be filled by 16-year-old keeper Ryan Schorback.

Schorback has been keeping in the under-20s side as backup to the suspended Jason Hill, but is now expected to earn the call-up to make his senior debut.

It looms as a massive task for the teenager given Romein’s dominance as goalkeeper and presence on the pitch.

Romein has kept a clean sheet for the Reds’ last three encounters and has not let more than one goal past him in the last nine matches.

The defensive line of the Reds can certainly shoulder a lot of the responsibility for Ballarat’s stringent final line but they will have to be on top of their games to give Schorback maximum assistance next week.

The Reds travel to Box Hill for their third last game for the season next Saturday. 

Box Hill has scored 40 goals in 25 matches this season, suggesting it is more than capable of finding the back of the net, meaning Schorback will certainly have his work cut out from the outset.

Should the Reds win, they are guaranteed to maintain second spot on the NPLV1 west table.

A second place finish earns a playoff match against the second-placed eastern conference side, with the winner to play the third-last side from the NPLV for promotion. Romein will return after next week’s suspension.