West Adelaide relegated, Adelaide City survive and Polonia Reserve farewelled after Kings miss finals
West Adelaide Hellas have been dumped from the top tier, Adelaide City hangs on despite loss, Croydon Kings miss finals and Raiders lose double chance in a thrilling final home-and-away round.
West Adelaide has lost the relegation battle with Adelaide City, being dumped to State League 1.
The South Australian soccer giants were beaten in their matches but it’s Hellas who will join South Adelaide in the lower division in 2020 after a 4-0 loss to MetroStars at Klemzig on Saturday night.
West needed to win and Adelaide City, SA’s first National Soccer League champions (1978), needed to lose to have any hope of surviving the drop.
MetroStars also snuck into sixth position at the expense of Croydon Kings as Comets jagged the finals double chance in a nailbiting 2-1 win over Adelaide City at Oakden.
A 91st-minute winner from Jack Bladen after Adelaide City had taken the lead was a snapshot of the three-time NSL champion’s very average season by their high standards.
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Blue Eagles were at risk of missing the finals series but the Azzurri smacking Raiders 3-1 at the Croatian Sports Centre was something of an upset for the side which was a shock NPL leader during the season.
The loss cost Raiders the double chance despite the Azzurri’s previous form slump since ex-Sampdoria striker Emanuele Testardi returned to Italy because a knee injury in late June after scoring 10 goals in 10 matches.
Blue Eagles defender Christian D’Angelo said releasing Italian defender Ivan D’Adamo from his contract also tested the side which arrested a four-game winless streak on Saturday night.
“If we didn’t win we would have been out of the finals,’’ D’Angelo said.
“Raiders had a good patch for 15 minutes and once we scored the third goal we closed up the game.
“We played really well and when we led 2-0 we were comfortable and they were reduced to 10 men just before halftime when Adam van Dommele was sent off.”
Blue Eagles will now face Olympic in an elimination final. Olympic jagged fourth spot after the club was teetering on the brink of a shock exit from the finals.
Olympic’s Christos Pounendis scored his second goal of the game and his 19th of the season in the 89th minute to salvage a 3-3 draw with Para Hills at The Paddocks.
D’Angelo believes his side can oust their rival out of the finals before Olympic hosts Victoria’s Hume City in an FFA Cup Round 16 class at Angle Park on August 28.
“I think we’re in with a very good chance but they’re also a quality side; they have had good depth all season,” he said.
“They won the local Cup and now they’re in the FFA Cup, so that’s quite impressive.
“They may have that game as their main focus.”
However, in another sad season ending, Kings needed a win to give Polonia Reserve a final farewell which wasn’t to be before bulldozers continue the South Rd upgrade, demolishing much of the club’s wonderful history.
Croydon crashed 2-1 to 2019 NPL premier Campbelltown at Newton and out of the six when Marc Marino scored the winner in the 41st minute after an opener from Dion Kirk before Kings’ Luke Klimek equalised.