Lightning Thunder

By Gavin Staindl
DESPITE all the drama which has beset the Dandenong Thunder headquarters over the last two months, the Premier League side is still only half a game out of the top five.
The Thunder have been stripped of points, fined, forced to shut its gates for home matches and had two head coaches walk out, but on Tuesday night they moved to within two points of fifth place.
After beating Springvale White Eagles 2-1 on Saturday, Dandenong put together two wins on the trot for the first time since the first week of May, with a 3-1 over VTC Football at George Andrews Reserve.
The win was as vital as it was comprehensive.
Vital, because if Dandenong failed to knock over the VPL rookies, it would remain a game and a half behind the finals contenders with three rounds remaining.
Brief counter-attacks by the VTC threatened to derail Dandenong’s season, but the Thunder still appeared the dominant team and led 2-1 at the main break.
Aside from a few on-field scattered puddles that disrupted Dandenong’s passing game, the Thunder looked in total control, so much so that even one of the bench players for the VTC conceded Thunder “should be up by 10 goals”.
Time and time again, Dandenong worked its way in behind the defence, only to slip up when it came to finishing.
In the second half, Ashley Stott fired three balls over the cross-bar in quick succession before he mistimed a one-on-one with the goalkeeper that shot wide and high past the posts.
Fortunately, Stott was not left to rue the miss, as moments later goalkeeper Sturt Webster made a one-on-one save to keep the Thunder in the lead.
Luke Sherbon, who looked like a schoolyard bully against the VTC defence, did what he liked with the ball and sealed the win with his second goal, a dazzling strike from 20 metres.
After drawing three players to the ball, Sherbon wrong-footed the central back who fell over, giving Sherbon a clear shooting lane on which to slam home the win.
For injured player/coach Steven Gray it is his second win from three games.