Berwick faces battle royal

By Gavin Staindl
IT IS being billed as a David versus Goliath type battle, yet Berwick coach Tom O’Halloran is siding with the little guy.
Berwick City, which is battling relegation, will host Division Three enforcers Mornington on Saturday – and while the match appears a foregone conclusion, O’Halloran is expecting fireworks.
“We’ll cause a shock,” O’Halloran said.
“I’m really expecting to win this.
“There is a really good vibe at training, a really good vibe and we will shock a lot of people on Saturday.”
O’Halloran’s confidence stems from Friday night, when his team claimed a “six-point victory” against Croydon City Arrows.
With the prospect of dropping into the relegation zone, Berwick started strongly and to the relief of O’Halloran, capitalised on its opportunities to leave with a 3-1 win.
The win was crucial for Berwick, which moves five points clear of Croydon in the drop zone.
Brilliance from James Ashby and a stirring performance by captain Orlando Mejias, led Berwick to a 2-0 lead before Croydon responded with a goal after half time. But an opportunistic tap in by Jamie O’Halloran in the 90th minute brought a collective sigh of relief to the Berwick bench.
“That was a brilliant feeling,” Tom O’Halloran said.
“When Jamie scored, all the stress levels were gone.”
One side that is feeling the pinch is Casey, which again missed a chance to make up ground in Division Two with Saturday’s 1-1 draw to Box Hill.
It was a laborious afternoon on Box Hill’s Wembley Park, as the heavy playing surface turned the match into a slog.
But at least the Comets got to play. Division Three side Doveton and Provisional Two side Endeavour United had their matches postponed because of pitch conditions.