While the senior sides sat out Sunday’s round 19 of AWFA competition, the reserves continued to be the backbone of the club.

The division two men responded from a slow start to run out 5-1 winners over Twin City Wanderers.

After claiming nine wins on the trot against some of the best in the competition, the ressies came out of the blocks a tad complacent, looking for an easy win over the lowly Wanderers.

Their reality was shattered after Wanderers slipped one past the keeper, taking a 1-0 lead at half-time.

After some choice words from coach Vitaly Leschen, the Devils ripped back into the contest, slamming on goal after goal to secure their 10th victory on the trot.

Jack Whiley and Shaban Abdulrahman both scored twice, with Lachlan Campbell chiming in to add insult to injury.

Leschen said while the start was far from ideal, it was a great sign his players could produce such an emphatic result when asked.

“To be honest, it was a good lesson going into these last weeks for the boys that, irrespective of who we play, so much of what we’ve done this year is about turning up every weekend,” he said.

“If we don’t turn up, we run the risk of losing games we shouldn’t, so it was a good reminder for the boys to keep their heads.

“We spoke about that winning stuff, whether it’s a game of soccer, a league, a final, it’s very difficult to achieve and it’s not something that’s going to just come to us.

“It starts in the rooms, starts in the warm-up, and you need to be at it every game, and we dropped below that in the first half.

“It was just reminding the boys about the bigger picture of where we’re trying to get to, and seeing how they responded.

“We went into the second half the way we should’ve started it, and ran away with it, really.

“There’s probably nothing more satisfying as a coach than when you spray the team and they go out and take it onboard and get the result.”

The win means Wangaratta City is within four points of a league title, after leaders Albury Hotspurs split the points in their match.

While still mathematically possible for the Devils to win the division two league championship, Hotspurs would need to lose against Wanderers (11th) and St Pat's (12th), as well as the Devils.

Leschen said these next few weeks would be more about setting the stage for a comprehensive finals campaign.

“Best case for us is first, but the most likely case and the achievable one is second,” he said.

“I think there is a big difference for us in terms of finals for if we finish second than if we finish third, so that’s the aim.”

Meanwhile, the reserve women were also in the wins, coming out ahead in a high-scoring match with St Pat’s Gold, 6-3.

Brianna McGregor and Angel Mendoza found the back of the net, alongside doubles to Sammy Scott and Katarina De Napoli.

The result sees the reserve women leapfrog Wodonga Diamonds into the top four of the ladder with just three matches left before finals.