With just three rounds of the 2015 NPL Victoria season remaining, Werribee City looked to be a relegation certainty, as a barren run of form saw the Bees stretch their losing streak to nine games.
A 6-0 away loss to Avondale was the final straw for the club hierarchy, who hired the charismatic Domenico Gangemi as manager for the remainder of the season, replacing the inexperienced Tony Trifunov after less than a month since stepping in for Nino Ragusa.
The decision reaped immediate rewards as Werribee stunned Northcote City 2-1 at home, before a thrilling last-gasp victory away to Oakleigh Cannons set up a final-day blockbuster with North Geelong Warriors in the battle for 12th spot.
Central to the Werribee revival has been captain Milan Savic, thrust up forward in a desperate attempt to secure safety for the struggling club.
The veteran spent the majority of the season battling away in midfield, but with the club struggling up front and searching for a goalscorer, Savic stepped up to the plate and delivered with a timely winner against Northcote, before backing up with a tireless performance against Oakleigh.
With two wins from their last two outings, the former Bentleigh Greens man admits his side is mentally prepared for the clash against the Warriors.
“Two wins in a row against two mid-table teams has lifted our confidence, so we will go into the North Geelong game confident,” Savic said.
“We will go out there playing for the win as that is a must for us.”
The Bees secured safety on the final-day of last season thanks to a draw away to Port Melbourne, and their captain believes the side has what it takes to match that feat this year as well.
He also credited the work of Gangemi, who has rejuvenated the squad after a tough few months in which the Bees struggled to secure points and remained rooted in the relegation dog-fight.
“The boys are all putting in and coming to training after a somewhat tumultuous period for the club, but there is a good vibe going around the club so we must be confident and pull through,” he said.
“[Gangemi] has done the job by winning both his games in charge and is a bit of a character in the dressing room and has pulled us out of the trouble we were in previously.”
Despite the positional change, the move forward isn’t anything new for the experienced campaigner.
“I’ve played up front before I came to Werribee, so it’s nothing new to me,” he said.
“It is a bit different in the sense of having to face the ball and having your back to goal rather than facing forward, but it’s obviously working as we’ve won both our games since moving up front after losing 11 games straight, so I’m pretty happy with the way it’s gone.”
Heading into the final game of the season, the Bees’ home clash against North Geelong will determine who will join Dandenong Thunder in NPL 1 next season, with the side that avoids such fate earning a second chance to secure their top-flight status against the best second-placed team from the two NPL 1 conferences.
Come Sunday afternoon, Galvin Park will be host to a do-or-die battle against two two teams that have found late form in the competition, with Micky Colina’s men themselves confident of fending off relegation after some recent positive results.
While many would give the Warriors the edge out of the two, needing only a draw to secure 12th spot, the newfound energy instilled by Gangemi – along with the leadership of Savic, the midfield experience of Simon Colosimo, and attacking threat of Bobby Vidanoski and Simon Zappia – the Bees themselves have reason to believe ahead of the final-day.