Photo: APWE’s Daniel Dafkovski sends a shot goalwards in a recent game against Bulli. Dafkovski was instrumental in the heart of the White Eagles midfield in their terrific come from behind win over the Fury on Sunday.

 

 

 

Dapto Dandaloo Fury 3-5 Albion Park White Eagles

Albion Park White Eagles put five goals past the Illawarra Premier League’s best defence this weekend, inflicting the second defeat in a row on Dapto Dandaloo Fury in the process.

The win takes the White Eagles back to third spot in the ladder and leaves the Fury in second, three points adrift of Bulli with a game in hand.

A blistering eight minute period early in the second half saw this game turned on its head as striker Shaun McRae netted twice and constant White Eagles pressure forced two own goals from Fury defenders.

The game had started so differently, though.

Fury forced a corner with their opening move of the match and after a header onto the bar, captain Alvin Ceccoli was on hand to drive the ball home for the hosts’ opener.

This put Dapto Dandaloo in the driving seat, and they were unlucky not to go two up when Daryll Hall saw his free kick fly against the cross bar in the 18^th minute.

The home side were looking comfortable and playing some neat passing football, though it was a long ball from Cameron Morgan that set up Robbie Shields for a one on one with the White Eagles keeper Bryce Daenell who got down well to block Shields’ shot.

At this stage in the game, Fury were dominating in possession, with Albion Park trusting to counter-attacks on the break. Just before the half hour, Chris Smith broke through the Fury defence and was denied only by Mitchell Blowes in the Fury goal coming out to block him.

But a second Dapto Dandaloo goal always looked more likely and it came in the 35^th minute from another set piece. This time Daenell could only parry Shields’ shot into the path of Sam Munro who made no mistake with his right foot shot.

Arguably, the game turned in the 40^th minute.

Shields was brought down in the box and Ceccoli stepped up to take the penalty, but Daenell got down low to his right to keep the ball out. And within three minutes the visitors had got a goal back.

A beautiful move saw Ricky Anane thread the ball through to Brian Montanari, who found Smith out on the right. Smith’s cross was placed to perfection in the advancing Montanari’s path and his flicked header flew past Blowes into the net.

Ten minutes into the second half, the White Eagles had equalised. This time it was David Polidoro who initiated the move, but it was Smith who played provider again and McRae was on the spot to see the ball home.

With the match nearing the hour mark, it was either side’s game to win or lose. For the home side, Hall rose highest from a corner but saw his header easily taken by Daenell.

And from that moment on, it was the White Eagles who seized the initiative, laying siege to the Fury goal and scoring three goals in four minutes.

Chris Nathaniel drove in a cross from the right and under pressure from Montanari, Hall saw his back header loop over his own keeper into the back of the net, giving Albion Park the lead.

Then it was McRae who picked up his second goal as he fired home a loose ball on the edge of the area after Smith had sliced his own effort.

And as the Fury defence struggled to catch breath, a goalmouth scramble in the 64^th minute ended with substitute Wade Oostendorp putting the ball into his own net for an extraordinary 5-2 scoreline.

The way the White Eagles were playing, it looked as if the goal tally might mount further. Substitute Jack Balmforth set up McRae for what looked like a certain hat-trick, but Blowes got down just in time to block McRae’s shot. And with ten minutes to go McRae again came close, with a right foot shot zipping just wide of the upright. He then provided the cross from which Balmforth’s header produced a finger tip save to keep the scoreline respectable.

But the game was already lost by the time David Hartas curled in a left foot strike for the Fury’s third in the 87^th minute.

This was not only the Fury’s second consecutive home defeat, but it has seen their normally solid defence leak eight goals in two games (after letting In just ten in the first 11 rounds of the season).

Fury coach Noel Spencer was disappointed after the game: “It’s a hard result to take after playing some good football in the first half and going 2-0 up. If the penalty had gone in and another good chance we had, it could easily have been 4-0, but that’s football. When it came to the fight in the second half, we weren’t up to the battle.’

‘But we stick together, we move on, and while a lot of sides are resting next weekend, we have a big Bert Bampton cup game to get us back on track.”

White Eagles coach Steve Micevski was delighted with his side’s performance. “I’m really pleased for the boys. We’ve been creating chances in games and not always taking them, but today we did. I said to them at half time we were playing good football and were still in the game at only 2-1 down, thanks to another great stop from the penalty spot from Daenell, his second this season.’

‘They went out in the second half with more self belief and that converted itself into goals, which changed the whole game.”

Story by Simon Duffin