A last minute equaliser from Thomas Barforosh let Whittlesea Ranges off with a point in its National Premier League 2 west match against Brunswick City.
Coming off a loss to Ballarat City, the Ranges trailed early after Adam Wright converted a penalty for City in the fifth minute.
Then, in a repeat of the week before, the Ranges found themselves forced to finish the match with 10 men after Anthony Cassar was sent from the field in the 22nd, a straight red card exit for a dangerous tackle.
That left Ranges’ coach Vinko Bulijubasic reshuffling the line-up as they went into half-time 1-0 down.
And 1-0 it stayed until the dying minutes of the game, when substitute Barforosh found the back of the net in the 90th minute.
Barforosh’s goal was the Ranges’ first of the season, and Bulijubasic was just happy for the draw, under the circumstances.
“We’re lucky we’ve got such a good defensive set up,” he said. “We were fortunate to get the goal, but we kept on chasing that goal, and didn’t sit back and give up.”
While Bulijubasic was happy with a defence that has conceded just two goals in three games –
bettering the competition average – it’s at the attacking end the side still needs to find form.
“They just need to gel things together,” Bulijubasic said. “We’re creating chances in front of goal, but we’re not scoring.”
Having a different starting line-up in each of its three games so far has not helped the Ranges’ cause. With Cassar’s red card and automatic suspension, the starting line-up will change for a fourth time.
Bulijubasic said while this was unsettling, he hopes to steady the side once everyone is back on field. The Ranges sit second bottom after three rounds, with two points.
In NPL, Hume City had a comprehensive 5-0 against St Albans.
