NORTH FEELING THE PAIN
NORTH Geelong’s NPL2 campaign is over despite its 3-1 win over Ballarat City on Saturday. Second-placed St Albans Saints secured their place in a promotion playoff match following a 3-0 win over Brunswick City, edging out North on the final day of league games. Warriors coach James Coutts was “bitterly disappointed” post-match and expressed his disappointment in the FFV’s handling of the Round 16 scuffle with Melbourne Victory, which saw both clubs stripped of three points. The Warriors finished the season with 49 points on the league ladder, two points behind St Albans, but would have been vying for promotion if not for the FFV sanction. “You don’t like looking back too much at things and we haven’t spoken much about the three-point deduction, but now it becomes a massive thing because it’s what’s held us back,” Coutts said. “Football-wise, on the pitch, (we were the) second-best team in the league, you come second. “Unfortunately the three points deducted has killed us. It hurts — it’s mixed emotions at the moment. I’m very proud of the players but bitterly disappointed as well.
“If we’re getting deducted and it’s the same as the points that Victory got deducted then that needs to be looked at.
“People making these decisions at times maybe aren’t as close to the pitch as they should be.”
Despite the disappointment, Coutts was proud of his players and praised the group’s work ethic and demeanour during the back half of the season.
The win over Ballarat was another step forward in the development of the key junior members of the squad in Jamie Noggler, Stefan Papageorgiou and Hamish Flavell.
Noggler scored a stunning goal from a set piece and will be a major part of North’s surge towards promotion next year.
The talented winger went off injured early in the first half not before putting his mark on yet another game.
Darius Madison scored North’s second after halftime to finish his season tally on 13 goals.
Meanwhile, substitute Papageorgiou sealed the win in the final minutes after a dazzling solo run down the right wing.
Coutts confirmed the majority of the group including Noggler would be staying on at Elcho Park next year with other announcements to be made public in coming weeks.
“We want to keep a lot of the squad together and everyone we want to keep will be staying and we want to build on that,” he said.