Dandenong Thunder will be counting itself lucky after it was deemed not to have played a part in the lighting failure that led to its clash against Northcote City being abandoned as it was headed for a crushing defeat last month.
The round 19 fixture was called to an end on the hour mark with City cruising with a 4-1 lead at George Andrews Reserve when the lights failed.
An independent tribunal sat on Wednesday night and deemed the clash was to be replayed in full.
"The independent tribunal considered that it could not be satisfied that Dandenong Thunder SC was directly responsible for the lighting failure," a FFV spokesperson told au.fourfourtwo.com.
Although the venue remains unconfirmed, the two teams hold a distinct advantage over the rest of the competition with this clash to be played on August 18.
The conclusion of the regular season of the VPL is on Sunday.
With both teams in the hunt for a finals spot, next week's replayed clash could decide who seals a spot in the top five.
The rules of the competition state had another approximately 15 minutes been played; Northcote could have been awarded the three points.
Next week's clash would be Northcote's fourth in 11 days.
The decision is subject to an appeal.
