James Robinson is a man aware of the challenges that lie ahead of him.
With Goulburn Valley all but guaranteed relegation this season, Robinson’s Red Devils are next in the firing line, sitting second from bottom, albeit only three points behind Werribee with two games in hand, meaning they are in a stronger position to avoid the drop.
Well and truly in a relegation scrap, a busy week has yielded mixed results for the regional side, with a vital win against Werribee, but also a defeat against fellow relegation candidates Port Melbourne Sharks.
The Red Devils coach remains upbeat about Ballarat’s chances of survival, maintaining his players have what it takes to keep the club in Victoria’s top tier.
“We knew where we were at when we first came into this league. We addressed certain things and where we’d be at, but we knew we’d come strong and we keep challenging ourselves and keep pushing,” Robinson said.
“It’s been a rocky road for them [the players], and they’ve dealt with it, and took it on.
“The good thing about the boys is that they understand their roles and responsibilities really well, you learn from your mistakes and we’re learning well, and credit to the boys, they take it on the chin.
“For every win the boys know that we’ll keep pushing on, carry on building, and carry on driving.”
Despite both regional teams languishing towards the bottom of the NPL table this season, the Ballarat mentor refused to acknowledge a possibility that regional teams faced additional obstacles in the competition, such as longer travel or difficulties in player recruitment due to geographical location.
“You can find a million and one excuses if you want, we don’t want any,” he said.
“We created a no excuses environment and gave ourselves the best possible chance [to compete] and we’ll be, at the end, where we need to be.
“The big thing for us is that we’ve got fantastic facilities and a fantastic football committee.
“We’ve got fantastic people behind the club, driving it, and were driving a culture and we’re driving the right things.
“Football will be the main benefactor here, and we’ll challenge and we’ll push and we’ll raise the bar, we’ll keep going, and that’s the best thing about us.”
With six matches left in a busy schedule, Robinson was adamant his side was well prepared to face the challenges ahead of them.
“It’s a busy few weeks. We play teams around us, so it’s interesting games but it’s good and it’s exciting,” he said.
“Bring the games on, I know the players would rather play than train.”
Ballarat play their third consecutive away game in six days on Saturday, travelling to Keilor Downs to face Green Gully. Kick-off at Green Gully Reserve is scheduled for 3:00pm.