A heart-breaking 95th-minute goal to Geelong has dumped the Goulburn Valley Suns back into the thick of a relegation battle.
The National Premier League Two east division Suns looked high and dry in their quest to keep their heads above next year's NPL3 waters, but consecutive 1-0 defeats have allowed Melbourne City to close the gap back to three points with three games to play.
The Suns fought hard for a point at Stead Park on Saturday, but Geelong captain Matt Townley was able to latch on to a corner in the fifth minute of extra-time to send the home fans into raptures and leave the visitors empty handed.
"It's a real kick in the teeth to go down with pretty much the last kick of the game," Suns coach Craig Carley said.
"It's really disappointing and it doesn't make things easy over the last three games, we're in a tough battle now to hold on to our NPL2 spot."
The Suns struggled to produce a wave of chances on the road, but still had golden opportunities to win the contest throughout the match.
"It wasn't the prettiest game of football, but we just didn't get the ball into our front third enough," Carley said.
"We still had opportunities, (a few boys) hit the bar.
"We can't seem to put our finger on why we can't close out games.
"At the end of the day these goals are avoidable.
"It's like we switch off for a couple of seconds and that's when we concede.
"We're not going to be going out there and scoring two or three goals every week (so we have to be better defensively)."
Suns skipper Jamie England was a clear standout for his side.
The Suns now face Langwarrin, Murray United and Bulleen Lions in the final three games and will attempt to increase their six-goal and three-point buffer over seventh-placed City.