Ballarat City’s strong start to the National Premier Leagues Victoria 2 season has taken a turn for the worst with a second-straight defeat at the weekend.
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Werribee City scored a goal in each half to sink the Ballarat boys, which were unable to find the net in a disappointing 2-0 defeat at Galvin Park.
Trevor Ssemakula (45’) and Aki Machiyama (63’) were the goal scorers for the home side, which picked up its first points of the 2018 campaign.
Werribee City started the year with three consecutive defeats against Altona Magic, Moreland Zebras and St Albans Saints.
Ballarat manager Danny Gnjidic described Ssemakula’s goal as a “killer blow” given it came in first half stoppage time.
Gnjidic said goal-keeper Aaron Romein had ventured outside the penalty area to try and cut off a long ball, but missed with his clearance effort.
“He came out of his box and didn't make contact with the ball and it fell for the forward. He planted it into an empty net quite well,” he said.
Gnjidic said Ssemakula proved troublesome for his side all day and he also had a hand in Werribee City’s second goal. It came after a turnover when Ballarat looked to be pressing for a scoring opportunity.
The Ballarat manager said playing catch-up in Saturday’s high temperatures was something his side wanted to avoid, but ultimately couldn’t.
“It was probably our poorest performance of the year and the result suggested that,” he said.
Ballarat’s loss came a week after it was beaten by Whittlesea Ranges. Before that, the side had opened the year with a draw and a round two triumph against St Albans Saints.
Next Saturday, Ballarat will return to Morshead Park for a clash against Sunshine George Cross. That fixture is the first of two-straight home games, with Melbourne Victory set to make the trip the following weekend.
Werribee City will look to back up its first win with a clash against Whittlesea Ranges next Sunday.