By JARROD POTTER
NOTHING clicked for the Dandenong Thunder in their lazy 0-2 loss to Pascoe Vale.
Passes didn’t connect, plays didn’t sync up and most importantly, 11 players didn’t resemble the same Thunder team that earned four hard graft victories in a row prior to this week.
Shots from Nate Foster and Luke Hopper weren’t seized and a goal from Feston Azizi was disallowed after a Foster foul and Dandenong didn’t rustle the nets again for the match.
Pascoe Vale opened its account with an early goal to Matthew Lazarides and finished the job with a Michael Ferrante penalty in the 51st minute.
The next half-hour ebbed and flowed – with the best chance going to Foster who latched onto a fantastic through ball which was barely saved by Pascoe Vale keeper Stefaan Sardelic, who copped an accidental boot to the face as a collateral cost of the save.
Thunder coach Chris Taylor was pensive about the loss – thinking his charges could’ve taken the match with even a single goal to invigorate them.
“I thought it was a bit of complacency,” Taylor said.
“First 15 minutes, we had our chances to go up, and if we had gotten up, I think we would’ve gone on with it.
“But we fell down to their level – it became a bit of a battle and a more physical encounter than probably what we normally like – but full credit to them.”
“It’s disappointing after the way we played a week ago to come today and play like that – but you can only play as well as the opposition let you play.
“Full credit to Pascoe Vale, they had a game plan and kind of stuck to it and it paid dividends for them.”
The Thunder drops to seventh on the VPL ladder with a 4-1-2 record and heads to face Melbourne Knights on Sunday afternoon.
In other local soccer results, Dandenong City took a 2-1 win over South Springvale, Noble Park United smashed Kingston City 4-2 via a Brodie Paterson brace, and Springvale White Eagles fought out a nil-all draw with Diamond Valley United.
