A return to McEwen Reserve for round 17 of the NPL2 competition bore little fruit for the Goulburn Valley Suns, who suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Moreland City at the weekend.
Things went from bad to worse for the Suns on Saturday, a Sean Pye own goal at the 15-minute mark putting a dominant City side in control of proceedings early doors.
Max Bisetto put his side two to the good just five minutes later, the men in orange unable to claw their way back into the game to head into the half with a two-goal deficit.
Jamie Latham slotted a third past Suns keeper Lucas Enders just four minutes into the second half, before substitute Matt Sporle put in a fourth just a minute after coming on to the pitch.
Caretaker manager Lee Blackburn rang in the changes after going 4-0 down, inserting Suns youngsters Marcus Thomas, Harun Aktas and Stefan Pigatto early in the second half.
The Suns were without the services of experienced campaigners Adam Gatcum and Jamie England on Saturday, who may not feature for the side again this season after recurring injuries in recent games.
The focus now shifts to a Northcote City clash this Saturday.
It’s yet another must-win encounter if the club hopes to salvage anything from a hellish campaign, with just four rounds remaining before a potential relegation play-off.