By Marcus Uhe
Dandenong Thunder has reached the halfway mark of the National Premier League (NPL) Victoria season looking for answers on the back of a disastrous loss to bottom-placed Moreland City on Saturday afternoon.
The (before Saturday) previously winless Moreland put four into the back of the Thunder net and kept a clean sheet for the first time in 2024, having jumped the visitors in the early stages with a remarkable start to the contest.
Thunder had barely touched the ball when Pierce Clark was taking the ball out of his goal, with the home side opening the scoring after just 44 seconds.
Thunder was caught napping on a Moreland throw-in and payed the price as Jose Sanz let rip with a low skidding shot from outside the penalty area.
It took only a further three minutes for the home side to double its advantage, courtesy of a set piece.
A dipping ball from the right wing evaded the diving head of Sanz looking for a second but was struck sweetly on the half-volley by Michael Tzoutzidis at the back post, giving Clark no chance of getting in the way.
Birkan Kirdar came close to pegging one back from a corner in the 18th minute, but his low driving shot into a congested penalty area was repelled by the Moreland City gloveman, and a dipping volley from Daniel Dixon narrowly cleared the crossbar just minutes later.
But a clumsy error from Clark brought about a spot kick in the 27th minute, and with it a 3-0 deficit.
An extended right knee from Clark while claiming a high ball with Sanz also in pursuit saw Clark make contact with Sanz face, causing Sanz to tumble to the surface and the referee award a penalty to the home side.
A dejected Clark was in disbelief at the decision, falling onto his back and smacking the ball away as Sanz returned to his feet, and Clarkâs teammates protested.
Clark was shown a yellow card for the foul and then guessed incorrectly on the penalty kick, with his side now 3-0 down.
Sanz made it 4-0 in the 38th minute, first to pounce on a lose, bouncing ball in the penalty area with a thumping volley from close range.
A yellow card for Kirdar in first-half stoppage time capped a horror first 45 minutes for the visitors, who failed to improve the dismal first half scoreline after the long break.
Thankfully for Thunder, the bleeding stopped, but the damage has been done.
The bare facts make for bleak reading for Thunder, now possessing a league-worst goal differential of -18 and only one clean sheet through 13 rounds, while only ahead of one side for total goals conceded.
The last five scorelines make for particularly grim reading, with a total of 18 goals conceded and only three scored.
The road does not get any easier next week with a trip to Hume to face fifth-placed Hume City.
