Tara Murray
Westgate hopes its season is back on track in the FV state league 2 north-west competition.
After an up and down start to the season, including changing coaches, Westgate has won its last three matches to sit in fourth spot with six wins.
Coach Jim Gacovski said things were starting to turn around in recent weeks. Gacovski took over as coach when Goran Lozanovski left the club to coach National Premier League side Hume City.
“It was a little bit unfortunate to lose Goran, but he has gone on to bigger and better things,” he said.
“Things have been working well the last two weeks. We’ve had two wins in the last two weeks and hopefully we can string another one together this week.”
Gacovski, who was assistant coach, said it was an easy decision to step up and coach the squad, having been involved the last three and half years.
He said the transition back into a senior coaching role, had been stressful, but enjoyable at the same time.
Gacovski admits the toll of the last couple of years had an impact on the playing group earlier in the season.
The side was sitting top last season and was eyeing promotion when the season got called off.
“Mentally it affected the group,” he said. “They were so close before lockdown and they then came back into it and it was COVID affected again.
“The team has got its confidence back and is enjoying their football. The last few games they’ve started to believe in their abilities again.”
Having not had the start they were after, Gacovski knows they are coming from a long way back if they are to get back into contention for promotion.
He said they were just focusing on each game.
“There’s no guarantees about promotion and we’ll take it week by week to try get the results we want,” he said.
“We’ve set ourselves the goal to take it week by week. We have to increase the work rate on the training track and start working more as a unit.”
Westgate beat Epping City 2-1 on Saturday.
