Laverton Park is resigned to the fact it will be relegated to the bottom tier of the Football Federation Victoria state leagues.
The Reds disastrous season continued on Saturday with a 4-0 hammering from Point Cook at Saltwater Reserve, leaving them 10 points adrift of safety with just five games to go.
“To be honest, saving ourselves from relegation is out of our minds at the moment,” Reds coach Vince De La Plaza told Star Weekly.
“I don’t think it’s possible.”
The carnage of having just six points after 17 rounds was felt two weeks ago when Marcelo Tejo stepped down as coach after three years in the position.
Tejo jumped the sinking ship before he was pushed as various forces wanted change.
“He did a lot for the club,” De La Plaza, who was Tejo’s captain before filling the coaching void, said.
“I think there was a lot of pressure from the supporters and the results weren’t coming.
“He’s the one who gave a lot of the young kids a chance, where maybe other coaches wouldn’t have.”
The Reds will begin the rebuilding process.
Though, in truth, this has been a rebuild of sorts from the start of this season.
They simply have not had the veteran presence needed to be competitive with the top clubs in state league 4.
“It is a very young team,” De La Plaza said.
“Every week we’ve got three or four players from the under-17s playing in the senior team.
“That’s one of the problems this year, we didn’t have enough experienced players.
“It makes a big difference when you’ve got two or three experienced players who can do a job for you and also guide all the young kids.
“We’ve had no other choice but to play the kids as we’ve had a lot of players come in and out of the club.”
The Reds are banking on these teenagers to be a big part of their future.
De La Plaza will use the remaining five games to get as much experience into the likes of Aaron Castillo, Andre Aravena, Andres and Marcelo De La Plaza-Sanchez, Sam Souid, Luis Bustos and Mark Pirotta as he can.
With the inevitable short term pain of the relegation set to come, it is time to focus on 2016 and beyond.
“It’s going to be massive for their development,” De La Plaza said.
“It’s not just having to play them, they’ve actually earned their spots.
“They’ve coped well and it’s been good to see the young kids being able to stand up against men.”
The Reds will be looking for their second win of the campaign when Sebastopol Vikings visit their Merton Street home on Saturday.
