Hume City 0-3 Dandenong Thunder: Thunder continue great start

Canadian Import Nate Foster with Coach Chris Taylor
Photo: Dandenong Thunder

Dandenong Thunder continued their great start to the 2012 season with a convincing 3-0 victory over Hume City at Epping Stadium on Friday night.

Thunder took the lead as early as the 11^th minute through Canadian import Nate Foster before a second-half brace from Luke Sherbon on 52 and 85 minutes sealed the win.

Despite a stop-start opening Thunder opened the scoring on 11 minutes. The ball fell for Sean McIlroy but Hume goalkeeper Chris Oldfield made a great save to deny the Irishman but Foster followed up with a finish into the bottom corner.

Just eight minutes after taking the lead Foster could have doubled the lead but the swift forward volleyed his effort directly at Oldfield with Sherbon free on the right.

Thunder continued to threaten the Hume goal and Mathew Theodore was next to test Oldfield who made another great save before Sherbon ran onto the ball and thundered his effort narrowly over.

Soon after Theodore was denied McIlroy was too by a combination of Oldfield and former Thunder defender Jarryd Barnes.

Thunder played a typical British style of football and set up in a 4-4-2 formation and tested the Hume defence with a number of long balls and crosses into the box.

And that exactly happened On 33 minutes when Thunder Skipper Shane Rexhepi picked out Kearney but the wide man could only head his effort into the hands of Oldfield.

Five minutes into the second-half Dandenong were given a penalty after Barnes fouled Foster inside the box. Sherbon stepped up and converted the penalty after sending Oldfield the wrong way.

On the hour mark Foster and McIlroy did brilliantly to beat Ben Harrison before Foster crossed but Kearney spooned his effort over from only inches out.

Soon after Sherbon was looking for his second and was found inside the box but the Welshman volleyed his effort well over crossbar.

On 85 minutes Sherbon wrapped up the game when he scored his brace with a scuffed finish past Oldfield after substitute Hamlet Armenian did well to cut back to the Welshman.

Two minutes later the hosts were looking to snatch a goal consolidation goal when second-half substitute Jose Guerruero played a great ball into the box which Nick Hegarty nodded towards goal but Webster denied the Englishman.

3-0 wasn’t enough for Thunder as Chris Taylor’s men pushed forward for a fourth but Armenian fired just wide.

Dandenong Thunder Coach Chris Taylor was pleased with his side’s victory but believes they could have scored more.

“It’s a long, long way (to the finals) but it was important for us to get a couple good wins under our belt and having so many new players and getting them to gel quickly has been really good and even tonight, we created several good chances. I know we scored three but it could have been double that as well so that is pleasing as well,” Taylor said.

Hume City Coach Louie Acevski thought his side played well up to the tenth minute, when the conceded.

“First things first you got to not concede to have a chance of winning a game. We have obviously conceded in the tenth minute, we played well up to the tenth minute mark, we knocked the ball around well but a mistake at the back meant we conceded against a good team,” Acevski said.

Match Details:

Hume City: 1. Chris OLDFIELD (GK), 3. Ben HARRISON, 4. Isyan ERDOGAN ©, 7. Atilla OFLI (8. Jose GUERRUERO 78’), 9. Pece SIVESKI (37. Bobby VIDANOSKI 66’), 11. Nick HEGARTY, 12. Jarryd BARNES, 15. Zoran PETREVSKI, 17. Phillip RICCOBENE, 20. Archie TOMIC, 22. Howard FONDYKE

Subs Not Used: 2. Adam CENTOFANTI, 18. Evan VAN DER BYL (GK), 41. Cem CIL

Yellow Cards: Tomic (37’), Barnes (66’), Riccobene (90+1’)

Dandenong Thunder: 1. Stewart WEBSTER (GK), 3. Andrew MULLETT, 5. Anthony BRAN, 7. Liam KEARNEY, 8. Matthew THEODORE, 9. SEAN MCILROY (17. Hamlet ARMENIAN 72’), 11. Iqbal JAWADI (6. Ross THOMPSON 65’), 13. Shane REXHEPI ©, 14. Craig ELVIN, 19. Nate FOSTER (18. Adam CASEY 81’), 20. Luke SHERBON

Subs Not Used: 12. Shpetim MALA, 21. Zaim ZENELI (GK)

Goals: Foster (11’), Sherbon (52’ (pen), 85’)

Yellow Cards: Bran (55’)