Hay Park Take The Points

Saturday, 07 July 2007 20:00

The Dunsborough Towners lowered their colours to Hay Park in a second division league football clash at the Dunsborough Recreation Oval on Sunday going down 1-3 but not without a fight.

By half-time Dunsborough were trailing 3-0 and could have been a lot further behind such was the dominance Hay Park held over the game and the chances they created.

From the first whistle Dunsborough were chasing shadows with Hay Park playing a controlled brand of soccer demonstrating a high degree of team work and skill on the ball.

Dunsborough appeared overawed by the reputation of their opponents and conceded the first goal in the fourth minute with a second coming in the21st minute and a third four minutes later.

Stand-in goalkeeper Luke Taylor tried to clear the first attempt, an acute angle shot from Lee Stewart, with his feet and only succeeded in helping the ball into the net.

On a number of occasions Taylor used this unorthodox method of using his feet rather than his hands to protect his goal to good effect.

“Being a striker I found it strange to use my hands at times and my feet came into action instinctively,” said Taylor.

However, he had no chance with the other two goals from Dale Stewart and Marty Douglas

At this stage it seemed that the Towners were about to be overrun. 

But Hay Park lost their touch in front of goal wasting some gilt-edged chances hitting the crossbar and the post on two occasions.

Gradually Dunsborough weathered the storm and created a few chances of their own with an unmarked John Crosbie coming close in the 30th minute with a flying header to a Kieran Smith cross shaving the outside of the post.

Dunsborough could have been level in the 18th minute had the referee awarded a penalty after Cid Richards had made a powerful run through the Hay Park defence and with only the goalkeeper to beat was hacked down from behind.

His refusal to grant the spot kick was an incredible decision and one that probably changed the course of the game.

It was a different Dunsborough that appeared in the second-half as they grabbed the initiative with dominance of the midfield through “Man of the Match” for Dunsborough Micky Doyle and the ever consistent Tomohiro Inagata.

Where they had been timid in defence in the first-half they exerted authority to provide the foundation for a spirited second-half fight-back.

When the final whistle sounded Dunsborough could claim they had done enough to at least share the points but only had one goal to show for their endeavours.

Three times they had the goal at their mercy only to spurn the chances.

A superb one handed reflex save from Hay Park goalkeeper Cody Busson midway through the half from a Richards thunderbolt pushed the ball onto the post to prevent the break through Dunsborough were looking for.

Dunsboirough’s moment of joy came in the 87th minute when a well worked move from the halfway line ended with Richard Olsen beating a rushing Busson to the ball outside the penalty area to guide home an angled ground shot inside the far post.

It was the same result in the Women’s second division encounter with Hay Park earlier in the day as Dunsborough lost 1-3.

When Brooke Johannessen scored for Dunsborough in the fifth minute it appeared that they would maintain their winning streak, but Hay Park regrouped to win the encounter.

It was unfortunate that Dunborough had only a bare eleven players for the game without the luxury to call upon substitutes when needed.

They needed substitutes with injury to three of their players who had to continue in adversity until the final whistle.

However, Dunsborough remain on top of the division still with a realistic chance of capturing a league title in their first year.