By Ewen McRae
Spring Hills’ run of losses has continued, going down to Laverton in State League 4 west action on Saturday.
Despite a number of chances, Spring Hills could only find the back of the net once as the home side snared a late winner to claim a 2-1 victory.
It was a far cry from the season’s opening round, when Spring Hills ran away with a 7-1 drubbing of Laverton.
The loss on Saturday is the fifth in a row for the Stallions.
Team manager Joe Febbraio said the heavy ground conditions hurt their chances of getting their game going.
“It’s always a tough game when we go to Laverton,” Febbraio said.
“Because we play and train on a synthetic surface, when we strike heavy grass pitches over the years we have tended to struggle.
“In the end it could have gone either way, both teams had chances and they took theirs and we didn’t take ours, and it’s been a bit like that the last few weeks.
“We were confident at half-time that we could get something from the game, but we have to move on and get on with it now.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Laverton vs Spring Hills
Both sides had some good looks in the opening half, but it was the home side who hit the scoreboard first when a poor clearance gave Laverton an open opportunity to score from close range.
The hosts were soon down to 10 men when a high boot to the face of one of the visitors saw a red card shown, but Spring Hills was unable to make the most of the advantage before the break.
Spring Hills found the equalizer after some strong play down the wing ended with a good cross to Mohamed Mohamed, who slotted home the Stallions’ first.
Two more red cards were shown as the game wore on, with Mohamed and his Laverton opponent both sent to the changerooms.
With 15 minutes to play, Laverton grabbed the go-ahead goal after a strong build up through the middle of the game, and despite having an extra player on the field, the Stallions were unable to draw level again.
Febbraio said there was only one way out of their current rut.
“We spoke to the players, and the only way we can see out of this is through hard work,” he said.
“We get back to the training pitch and we go again. It’s not like we are being completely outplayed, it’s just that the teams we are playing are taking their opportunities, and we’re creating opportunities and not taking them.
“We just have to continue to work hard on it to find a way around it.”
