There was no need to fret on the final day of the season for relegation-threatened Altona East Phoenix.
The Phoenix comfortably took care of business in a 2-0 win over Cairnlea at Paisley Park on Saturday to secure a continuation of FFV state league 1 status for next season.
Phoenix president Jim Dimitriou said it was an impressive outing.
“Even though they knew they didn’t have to win the game – a draw was enough to be safe – they went out with the mentality that they were going to win,” he said.
“We pushed Altona Magic the week before … clearly the best side in the league.
“We weren’t scared to play our normal attacking soccer and had the same game plan that we had against Altona Magic … it paid off for us.”
Altona East could only be relegated if it lost by three goals or more. In that event, the Phoenix would have been leap-frogged by Cairnlea, which also finished inside the relegation zone.
Even with that equation in mind, the Phoenix players had no intention of playing negative football.
“If you just try and park the bus, you can get yourself in trouble because they’re attacking and eventually they’ll break through,” Dimitriou said.
“The coach [Paul Falzon] just said for them to go out there and play their normal game like we did against Altona Magic … if we score it puts them under even more pressure.”
After a scoreless first half, Altona East found a goal through Liam Francis.
It broke Cairnlea’s spirit.
Francis scored a second and gave the Phoenix a chance to celebrate safety after a difficult campaign spent in the lower reaches of the ladder.
In other games, champion side Altona Magic had a 0-0 draw with North Sunshine Eagles to finish the season six points clear at the top, while Yarraville Glory had a 2-1 home defeat to Sydenham Park.
In state league 2, Altona City claimed the inaugural beyondblue Cup, ripping Fitzroy City apart 6-0.
