Altona City can be immensely proud of what it has achieved in the FFV men’s state league 2 soccer this season.
City will finish in the top four – a superb effort considering the side was third from bottom eight rounds into its first season in the division.
But City wants more.
It’s unlikely that it will get it – but the players won’t die wondering.
With two games to go, City is three points and hefty goal difference behind second-placed Essendon Royals, but the club hasn’t given up hope of pulling off a miraculous promotion.
City’s message to the Royals: If you slip up, we’re ready to pounce.
“At the start of the year, our plan was to finish top four and that would’ve been a pass for us,” City president Joe Tanti told Star Weekly.
“Being so close now, there’s nothing better than trying to push for promotion, so we’ll keep pushing.
“Look, anything can happen. We’ve got nothing to lose – we’ve just got to win our games, while Essendon Royals have everything to lose.”
Altona City was hoping to be closer to the top-two heading into its penultimate round meeting with Sporting Whittlesea away on Saturday, but that was ruined by the Royals upset win over already crowned champion Geelong.
City has warned the Royals that the three points the latter need to lock away second spot will be their hardest to obtain for the season.
“We had a similar situation two years ago,” Tanti said. “We could’ve got promoted into the second division, but we lost our last game and it cost us promotion.
“It happens – that’s why we’re going into the last two weeks thinking we can still get promoted and that’s the way we’re going to tackle it.
“If we don’t end up getting promoted, it’s been a bloody good ride for the last half of the year.”
No matter what division City ends up playing its football next season, they are set up for sustained success after receiving commitments from coach Andy O’Dell and star striker Ayodeji Omoboye for 2017.
O’Dell came into the club mid-season and immediately turned the City’s fortunes on their head.
“He’s been a gem,” Tanti said. “He’s been around and he knows what second division is all about, so he knew what we needed to do.
“He looked at the players we had and who we brought in … he’s playing them to the best of their ability and we haven’t looked back since.”
City has fought off keen interest from rival clubs in Omoboye. He is City’s leading marksman with eight goals.
“You’ve got a guy who has come to a second division club and is putting goals away each week or setting them up, so he’s obviously a person of interest,” Tanti said.
“We know a few clubs were already knocking on his door and watching him last week, so we had to get that deal done and over the line.”
