By Marcus Uhe
Doveton Soccer Club’s future in the Victorian Premier League 2 (VPL2) competition will hinge on Saturday’s must-win clash with bottom-placed Beaumaris on Saturday afternoon.
With two rounds left to play, Doveton sits second last on the table on 20 points, one back from 10th place Goulburn Valley and three from Box Hill United in 9th.
The bottom two sides from VPL2 will be relegated to Men’s State League One, meaning a win over Beaumaris at Beaumaris Reserve on Saturday afternoon will be crucial in keeping their hopes of staying up alive.
Beaumaris’ fate is already sealed, eight points adrift from Doveton in bottom place, and Doveton has recent history on its side, winning the season’s earlier clash between the two sides, 2-1.
With fives rounds to play in the Men’s State Leagues, the fight for survival in each competition is on in earnest.
Two sides will be promoted from the Men’s State League competition below, with the bottom two from each competition relegated.
Men’s State League 1 South-East, the White Eagles sitting second and South Springvale three points back in fourth, both gunning for Doveton’s place in VPL2.
Critical to determining which side, if any, earns elevation is Saturday’s mouthwatering contest between the two at South Springvale’s Warner Reserve.
The White Eagles are undefeated in their last five contests, while South Springvale enters the match in red-hot form, with 18 goals in its last four matches, where unsurprisingly it left each with the three points on offer.
Round seven’s meeting between the two was a hotly-contested affair that saw the points split in a 1-1 result, with South Springvale’s Aleksandar Hrkalovic scoring in the second half to tie proceedings, and teammate Kirilos Khalil receiving a pair of yellow cards.
Six players were booked in total, with four White Eagles cautioned and two from South Springvale.
Kick-off for the clash is scheduled for 3pm.
Eltham is atop the table on 41 points, while Banyule is third on 36, tied with Springvale White Eagles.
In Men’s State League 2 South-East, Greater Dandenong can hardly afford any further slip ups if it wishes to stay in that division, currently last and five points back from 10th place Skye United.
It’s been a tough year for Greater Dandenong, managing just three wins and four draws, second-last for goals scored and for goals conceded, netting them the worst goal differential through 17 rounds.
They face an uphill battle to climb out of the dropzone, however, with a brutal final five weeks that features fixtures with three of the top four sides.
Like Greater Dandenong, White Star Dandenong and Dandenong South will be fighting for their lives in Men’s State League 3 South-East, in ninth and eighth place respectively.
White Star are four points clear of the drop zone with a game in hand, and Dandenong South five points away.
White Star’s fairytale run in the last two years in claiming the championship in consecutive seasons, along with receiving promotion, has come to an end, but survival in State League 3 South East will become its primary objective as the season comes to a close.
Noble Park United, meanwhile, is six points back from top spot, meaning the club has a legitimate chance of climbing into State League 2 South-East in 2025.
