Devils’ derby delight

Many pundits were predicting a bloodbath when top of the table Myrtleford Savoy took on Wangaratta City FC on Sunday, but now they’ve been forced to give the Devils their due. The senior men’s team stunned the league by taking Savoy to a 1-1 draw and splitting the points, off the back of tenacious and courageous play. Fate, and the referee, handed the Devils a break early when Myrtleford’s Scott Peggie was given a red card in the opening five minutes. With one man down, Savoy had trouble keeping the Devils at bay, and it wasn’t long before Campbell McDiarmid found the back of the net. With a 1-0 lead at half-time, the Devils continued to surge, but injuries to Justin Cirillo and James Wells hampered progress. Myrtleford showed their quality in the 53rd minute, pegging one back, but they’d have to be content to share the points. Wangaratta coach Vitaly Leschen said while it wasn’t an outright victory, they’re happy to take the win. “A 1-1 draw against the top of the table, we’d take that every day,” he said. “They had a red card shown in the first five minutes of the match, and considering that, we probably should’ve pushed a bit harder, but I also think it shows a bit of where we’re at mentality-wise. “I think we would’ve carried on with it in the second half if not for a couple of injuries during the game - we lost ‘Wellsy’ [James Wells] towards the end of the first half, then we lost ‘Juzzy’ [Justin Cirillo] really early in the second half, two key players in key positions which meant we lost a bit of our balance. “The boys definitely wanted to walk away with the three points and I think we definitely deserve a point, and probably more, so it was a good day.” The draw marks the second time Wangaratta has stood up to the all-conquering Savoy, following a 0-2 loss earlier in the year. While they have had varying levels of success this season, Leschen said it was trending in the right direction. “We are in a year where we’re building and redeveloping the squad, and in those sorts of years you take all the wins you can get,” he said. “I would think we’ve probably performed the best against Myrtleford across the league, we’re one of only two teams to pull points off them. “The boys have shown in key moments in big games against Myrt and other games throughout the year we do have that potential in us. “It’s just about building on those small things and keeping going. “Hopefully come finals and come next year we’re in a better place than what we were.” It was an even better result for the reserve squad, who continued their charge to win the league with a 1-0 win, courtesy of a 35th-minute strike from Jack Whiley. The reserve squad sits second on the ladder, two games behind Albury Hotspurs. Meanwhile, the senior women came off second best in their match with Savoy, downed 0-2.

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