Bell Park still in the hunt
BELL Park has amazingly kept its promotion dream alive with a 2-1 win over Truganina Hornets at home on Saturday.
In an unbelievable round of State League 4, results went Bell Park’s way, leaving it within one point of league-leader Point Cook with one round to play.
In what will be one of the best finishes in the league’s recent history, a staggering five clubs remain in contention to win the championship this year and gain automatic promotion.
Included in that group is Bell Park’s local rival Surf Coast, which enjoyed a 2-1 win over Sebastopol.
The second-placed team in the league goes through to the promotion play-offs.
All Point Cook needed to do was to defeat challenger North Melbourne Athletic, but it seriously stumbled in its 4-2 loss.
That result, coupled with Surf Coast’s win, means just three points split the top five teams. Bell Park coach Ivan Biscan praised his team’s professionalism in the win.
The All Whites scored through Josh Berta in the final minute of the first half before doubling their lead 90 seconds into the second through Marcus Lindeberg.
A goal in the final minute of injury time destroyed the chance nce of a clean sheet. “We dominated inated the first period of that match so to get the goal and take an advantage into the break k (was huge for momentum),”),” Biscan said.
“SecondSecond half we controlled the game. We controlled the pace, , the intensity of the game.
“TheThe second goal killed the game e off. It allowed us to play positive tive football with the assurance ance we had done e the hard d work and had a comfortable able lead.”
The he All Whites had their destiny iny in their own hands at the start of April before two draws and a loss saw them lose their grip on the title.
But Biscan knows his side has everything to play for in the final round, coming up against North Melbourne Athletic. “We are sitting in a good position. We have got something to play for next week, which is great,”
“We’ve had a bit of a hiccup and we go into the last round still hopeful we can do what we set out to do at the start of the season (get promoted).
“A fortnight ago our destiny was in our own hands and we felt that pressure.
“It’s an open league. It’s all there and it’s exciting.
“Strange things happen in football.” Ronald Koeman will lay down the law to shamed Wayne Rooney after the former England striker was yesterday charged with drink-driving. The Everton manager is believed to have spent yesterday playing golf while deciding the best way to handle his first major disciplinary issue with his new star player. Rooney was charged by Cheshire police after being pulled over in the early hours while behind the wheel of a car belonging to an unidentified woman.