Balmoral is hoping to reset its focus as it hits the pointy end of the FV state league 4 west season.
It’s been a hectic few weeks for the club on and off the field, but attention is now on trying to secure promotion.
President Enver Malkic said it had been a crazy time in the mid part of the season.
“We were sitting in fourth spot,” he said. “We parted ways with our coach.
“We had a good cup run before losing to Pascoe Vale, before beating Clifton Hill in the Cecil Earley Plate.”
The club has since appointed Dave Winton and Emme Sheehan to coach the side for the rest of the season.
The pair have previously coached at Plenty Valley Lions where they took the Lions to a title and promotion.
Malkic said the pair got recommended to them and they liked their plan and vision for the future and understand the demands of modern soccer.
“They know what it takes,” he said. “The squad we have is our strongest ever that we have established.
“We’ve got what it takes and have the resources to try and get promoted.”
The first game under the new coaches started slowly before they put on a masterclass as they won 8-0.
Malkic said it was a good result to help build the belief up in the group.
The side was in third spot after 12 rounds, but fourth placed Bell Park had a game in hand.
There were only three points separating the top four sides.
As well as taking confidence out of the latest win, the club’s Australia Cup run provided some highlights.
The club was the lowest ranked side left in the competition heading into the fifth round.
“In round five we beat North Geelong and there were 1600 people there,” Malkic said.
“They were four divisions above us and it was the best win in the club’s history. Pascoe Vale we just feel short on penalties.
“We had chance after chance but they did not want to go in.”
Malkic said while it would have been nice to continue in the Australia Cup, from a league sense not having to play twice a week worked in their favour.
Being one of the last eight state league sides in the Australia Cup, Balmoral featured in the first Cecil Earley Cup.
It beat Clifton Hill in the first round of that competition and will face Mill Park in August for a spot in the final.
The win against Balmoral came without most of their starters, showing the depth at the club.
“We can still win three different cups,” Malkic said. “We have the league cup, the Cecil Earley Cup and the Bosnian Cup.
“Anything can happen.”
Balmoral beat Point Cook on Saturday, 3-0.
