EFNL 2021: Pioneers coach Duncan Jones declares club ‘belongs’ in Division 3 after gritty win earns relegation reprieve

The Whitehorse Pioneers earned a significant reprieve in the Eastern league’s Division 3 with a gritty win on Saturday.

The Pioneers notched their third win of 2021 on Saturday. Picture: Whitehorse Pioneers FC

Whitehorse Pioneers coach Duncan Jones has declared his club belongs in Division 3 following a gritty come-from-behind victory on Saturday.

The Pioneers earned themselves much-needed breathing space from the relegation zone after overcoming a 35-point quarter-time deficit to defeat Scoresby by 18 points.

The result lifted the Pioneers to their third victory of the season, with the Glen Waverley Hawks (two wins) and Fairpark (one win) behind, with the last-placed side to be demoted to Division 4 at the end of the home-and-away campaign.

With the aid of a strong wind at Springfield Park, the hosts cut the margin to just 22 at half-time, before an eight-goal-to-three third term edged the Pioneers ahead by 10 points at the final change.

Jones said the result was “significant” in his club’s bid to remain in the division, noting a lift in skills and discipline after quarter time which helped swing the momentum in a show of “maturity” from his group.

Pioneers coach Duncan Jones says his club belongs in Division 3 after gritty win. Picture: Whitehorse Pioneers FC

“It was a credit to the way we’ve grown this season, and earlier in the year we could have dropped our heads and let them run over the top of us,” Jones said.

“We’ve been speaking about resilience for a while now when things don’t go our way and being able to bounce back.

“We certainly feel like we belong in the division, we don’t want to make excuses, but injuries do take a toll.

“After the first break, we copped 13 on-field injuries, in a game against Warrandyte in the last quarter we played with 17 on the field.

“Morale does take a hit, but we’re really lucky that we’re able to get a lot of our players back – Dan Mendes, Mav Gleed and Dom Violi.

“It gives the guys a fair bit of confidence when we have our best team on the park that we can compete.”

Mendes finished best afield for the winners in the 13.10 (88) to 10.10 (70) result, alongside Joel Dalgleish, Rob MacDougall, Tom Davis (three goals), Andrew Padbury (two goals) and Dom Violi (one). Tim De Geest booted two majors for the ‘Pies, while Ryan Hicks was named their best.

Rob MacDougall flies for a grab against Fairpark. Picture: Whitehorse Pioneers FC

The Pioneers clash with the Glen Waverley Hawks this Saturday at Capitol Reserve, and Jones believes it’s an opportunity to build some momentum.

“They’re in a similar position to us and we want to tick more goals off that we set midway through the season … a chance to win multiple games is one of those goals and we’re looking to put in a good performance,” he said.