The Red Devils were leading 2-0 at the 68-minute mark of their round 17 match with Vale, before serious injuries to the latter prompted the match referee to call an early second-half finish.

Football Federation Victoria communication consultant Samantha Black confirmed on Thursday that the match would be played out, with 22 minutes remaining on the clock.

Black said no date had been finalised for the match and declined to comment on whether it would be held at the original location of Morshead Park.

She also confirmed that both clubs have been in contact with FFV to find a reasonable time to conclude the encounter.

Red Devils chairman Duncan Smith said the club was less than happy with the proposed finish, believing the Reds had already done enough to secure a vital three points.

Smith believes the earliest date being bandied around for the conclusion is early September, but said the club wants to get it out of the way as soon as possible.

“We want to play as soon as possible,” he said.

“We’re not happy – the match had gone past the 80 per cent mark, which constitutes a full game.

“We believe as a club, that should be the end of it.”

It remains unclear whether or not the time included in taking an injured Pascoe Vale goal-keeper off the

pitch was included in the referees report.

The clash against Vale is vitally important for the Reds, which must start winning matches if they hope to sneak their way out of relegation calculations.

They currently sit in the bottom two – six points behind 12th-placed Werribee City – but do have two games in hand.

Ballarat manager James Robinson said he was “highly confident” the team could fight its way out of the National Premier Leagues Victoria drop zone by season’s end.

“I know we have got the quality in the squad,” Robinson said.

“It’s a very important month so we need to pick up as many points as possible.

“It’s still within our control and we are not relying on other teams.”

The Reds will have a training session on Saturday ahead of their trip to take on Hume City on Sunday, where Liam Harding will be missing through suspension.

Fifth-placed Hume City won the teams’ earlier meeting this season 3-1.

michael.pollock@fairfaxmedia.com.au

tim.oconnor@fairfaxmedia.com.au