Grand final bound.
Dandenong City is through to the NPL big dance after pulling off the stunner of the season, upsetting top-seeded Avondale 1-0 in the preliminary final on the road at Avenger Park.
The first big chance of the match came from the hosts when Stefan Valentini cut back onto his left foot and fired a shot on goal, forcing a good save from Pierce Clark.
The home fans held their breath when Timothy Atherinos got a good look for City, putting his shot just wide of the goal from a long distance attempt.
In the 35th minute, Will Bower played a pinpoint pass into the path of Valli Cesnik, who launched a powerful shot on target but was met with a tremendous save from Avondale keeper Tom Mannos.
Ultimately, neither team could find the back of the net in the first half and the sides entered the main break deadlocked.
In the 72nd minute, Dandenong found a breakthrough from a corner set piece.
The cross came in from Jamie Latham and found Gaku Inaba at the back post, who headed it down to a dangerous area.
Waiting was Jack Webster and the defender managed to get a slight touch on the ball to fool the keeper, sneaking it in for a goal and the lead.
From there, Dandenong defended well and held a clean sheet against the league’s top-scoring side, a massive achievement in reaching the final day of the season.
City now will play for the NPL title against fierce opponent Heidelberg on Sunday at Lakeside Stadium.
