Defiance and surrender

By Gavin Staindl
WHILE Dandenong Thunder lives to fight another day – on and off the field – the Springvale White Eagles may be changing their name to the Springvale White Flags after Sunday’s effort.
The White Eagles were trounced 9-0 by Heidelberg United at Olympic Park, literally giving up a goal every 10 minutes in the Victorian Premier League match.
On the other side of town on Saturday, Dandenong enjoyed a convincing 3-1 win over Oakleigh in front of an adoring crowd.
In what was arguably Dandenong’s most important game of the season, the Thunder sent a statement to Football Federation Victorian and fellow Premier League teams that it will not be beaten.
A ruling by the soccer body stripped Dandenong of six premiership points and ordered it to shut its gates for the next four home matches after being found guilty of referee abuse last month.
But after an appeal was postponed, the public was allowed to attend the home game against Oakleigh.
Clearly stunned by the decision handed down by FFV, the normally vocal George Andrews crowd seemed subdued.
“I think there was an element of that,” Thunder coach Stuart Munro said.
“The supporters were going to the game and not sure what to do … or what they could say.”
On the pitch, Dandenong was back to its best, thrashing the VPL’s highest ranked team for much of the match.
After dropping from first to fourth with the six-point deduction, Dandenong moved back into second position after goals from Liam Kearney, Veton Korcari and Luke Sherbon.
The same could not be said for the Springvale White Eagles, who are heading back to Division One if they don’t turn their form around.