Club in crisis

By Gavin Staindl
THE Springvale White Eagles’ season is in tatters as it attempts to deal with a mass exodus of personnel.
Of the 16 players who took to the field in round one against the Bentleigh Greens, only six remain, with the majority leaving to clubs scattered around the first and second state league divisions.
Compounding the problem is a walk-out of officials, headed by former assistant coach Sasha Cohadzic.
Cohadzic said he and many of the players have walked out because the club could no longer support them.
“The club didn’t want us around anymore,” Cohadzic said.
“We wanted to bring in players and go down a different directive, but the club didn’t support us in that.
“I don’t know what is happening down there anymore.”
Cohadzic refused to comment on rumours suggesting Springvale White Eagles are strapped for cash, but was adamant there were numerous reasons for the player departure.
The walkout comes at a horrible time for Springvale, who has lost six games in a row, with the latest being a 2-1 loss to Hume City at White Eagles Stadium.
With the White Eagles entrenched in the drop zone by four games, it will require something drastic by those left at White Eagles Stadium to prevent the club returning to Division One.
Springvale will take on the struggling Dandenong Thunder on Saturday in front of a locked out crowd at George Andrews Reserve.
The Thunder, which will serve its final FFV-imposed lockout penalty, lost its third consecutive match on Saturday, going down to Green Gully 1-0 at Green Gully Reserve.