EFL 2019: Knox moves off the bottom of the Division 1 ladder

The EFL Division 1 relegation slot has changed hands for a fourth time in the past two months after Knox moved to within one win of the top five.

Rob Maibaum gets a kick away for Knox. Picture: Andy Brownbill

It was always going to be a significant result.

East Ringwood and Knox are trying to avoid consecutive relegations after being demoted from the Eastern Football League top flight last year, but both also remain in EFL Division 1 finals contention.

The two sides occupied the bottom two spots on the ladder leading into the Round 13 fixture.

And it was Knox which walked away with its top-five aspirations enhanced, moving off the bottom of the table after an 11-point win over East Ringwood on Saturday.

The relegation slot has changed hands four times since Round 6, with the Roos now holding up the ladder after a 7.7 (49) to 5.8 (38) defeat.

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Knox started the year 2-5 but the Falcons are now just half-a-game outside finals calculations with five wins.

It was also the first time the Falcons have scored consecutive victories since their premiership year in 2017.

“We were very conscious of where we stood, both in terms of relegation but also still looking for an opportunity if we can string a few together to push up and maybe still have a crack at making finals,” Knox coach David Madigan said.

“It’s just such an even competition that that scenario is still around but it’s nice just to have that bit of breathing space.

“We referred to it as a bit of a crunch game and I’m sure East Ringwood were looking at it exactly the same way.”

Knox coach David Madigan. Picture: Andy Brownbill

East Ringwood led by seven points at quarter-time but kicked just three more goals in a low-scoring affair.

“Our halfback line was tremendous and a lot of that came from the ability of our mids and forwards to keep pressure on in the front half of the ground,” Madigan said.

“Their positioning and ability to mark under pressure — Mitch Greaves and Damian Byrne were both terrific in that regard — Ryan Johnson, Ethan Murray were just so staunch back there and then were able to give us some really good drive again.”

Knox has recorded wins over top four sides Bayswater, Croydon and Lilydale but has been playing catch-up football after logging just one win in its first five games.

It hasn’t been in the top five all year but, such is the evenness of the competition, Madigan believes his side could play finals.

“It’s really just about the evenness of the competition and if your mindset is not 100 per cent or you drift off for a period of the game, any team can win,” he said.

“We probably had some games that have gone our way like that but obviously some really frustrating ones where we thought we’ve been in a position to have a win and haven’t been able to get across the line.

“It’s such an even competition and I don’t know whether you should read too much into who we’ve beaten and who we haven’t.

“I’m confident if we can keep stringing a few good games together and come that time of year (finals), I think the results show we are able to match it with those teams up there.”

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