Late burst sees Thunder home

By Gavin Staindl
A DEADLY 90-second burst from Dandenong Thunder has helped it to a 3-0 win over rivals Springvale White Eagles in the local Premier League derby at White Eagles Stadium.
Meeting for the first time since 2008, a large and vocal crowd packed into Springvale’s home ground only to see cross-town rivals Dandenong steal the show in the 75th minute.
After being denied many half-chances to score, Dandenong finally broke the 0-0 deadlock when Luke Sherbon connected with a rebounded corner.
With the away fans still celebrating the game’s first goal, Matt Theodore sealed the deal one minute later when he latched onto a well-timed pass from Chris Taylor and slipped it past White Eagles goalkeeper Scott Augustin.
As the floodgates swung open for Dandenong, local fans decided they had seen enough and made an early rush for their own gates.
It was only a matter of time before the Thunder would score again and it came from the boot of Sherbon who bobbed up for his second goal when Veton Korcaci drew a penalty in the 81st minute.
This capped off a dominant end to the match by Dandenong and leaves it a point from first position, with a game in hand.
After losing prolific goal scorer Goran Zoric to a hamstring concern, the White Eagles defended deep into their half and, according to White Eagles assistant coach Sasha Cohadzic, they could only hope for a draw.
“We tried to close shop … and for 75 minutes we did that,” Cohadzic said.
“We played against a good opposition which are much more capable than we are at the moment but we are proud of the boys’ efforts for the 75 minutes.”
Thunder coach Stuart Munro said he was pleased his players responded to his half-time address to stay calm.
Locked at 0-0 during the main break, Munro demanded his players employ a level of “patience” if they were to get past the stubborn White Eagles’ defence.
“We just peppered the goals … I knew if we could get a goal we would go on with it,” Munro said.
While White Eagles’ Zoric is expected to be right for next week’s game against Northcote City, Dandenong will look to newest recruit, Jack Hingert, to fill the role of right back Kyle Lapham, who could miss the rest of the season with a torn groin muscle.
It was originally thought the injury he suffered last week against Green Gully was only a minor tear, but an in depth prognosis revealed Lapham will most likely miss the rest of the season.
Along with Hingert, Munro also expects to give youngster Jarryd Barnes his first run of the season when Dandenong faces development side VTC, during the week.