IT was a little close for comfort but the Melbourne Knights retained their place among the Victorian Premier League elite.

The Knights were at rock bottom a month out from the finals and relegation seemed a genuine possibility.

There was a collective sigh of relief in the Knights camp when their survival was confirmed with a 4-2 win over Northcote City at Knights Stadium last week.

The same supporters that were snarling at the players seven days earlier were rejoicing in the Bat Cave as Somers Street turned into party central.

"I'm relieved, the whole club is relieved," Knights coach Ivan Duzel said.

"It was a little bit uncomfortable with the situation happening with the club."

The rot set in for the Knights in the early stages of the season.

The club was unsettled by having to integrate a new board and a makeover of the playing roster.

This led to a disastrous opening month where the Knights claimed a mere two points from four outings.

"The start of the season wasn't good at all from the board to the players," Duzel said.

"Everything was upside down."

The Knights turned the corner in round five when they shocked the Richmond Eagles 3-1.

A week later, they hit the road for a 2-0 win at the Oakleigh Cannons.

Three wins in four matches and all of a sudden the talk at the Knights was finals not the chop.

In what turned out to be an unbelievably close season with no easybeats, the Knights horror start would come back to haunt them.

They were ruled out of finals contention too early for their liking and the drop zone loomed like a dark shadow over Knights Stadium on a gloomy winter day.

The Knights were content to head into last Sunday's final game secure in the Victorian top flight.

English import Kevin Townson overcame an ankle niggle and a poor patch of form to bag a miraculous hat-trick. The attacking midfielder scored twice in three minutes in the first half and again 12 minutes into the second half.

Adrian Zahra put the icing on the cake with a goal in the 73rd minute.

The Knights met local rivals Green Gully Cavaliers at Green Gully Reserve on Sunday after The Advocate went to press. The Cavaliers will be featuring in this year's finals.

■The Knights will prepare for a tournament in Auckland in October that will feature all clubs with a Croatian heritage.

Lance Jenkinson