By Marcus Uhe
Dandenong Thunder striker Jordan Smylie put on a dazzling performance for his National Premier League (NPL) Victoria side on Saturday night in a comfortable 3-1 win over Port Melbourne at George Andrews Reserve.
The former Central Coast Mariner scored twice and provided an assist for the third goal of the night in what was the Thunder’s first win over Port Melbourne in League football since 2018, as Thunder manager Adam Piddick put a major dent in his former side’s finals hopes.
Captain Ali Sulemani opened the scoring in the 10th minute of the contest thanks to a pair of delightful ground balls, the second of which came from the boot of Smylie.
Thunder won the ball back in the defensive half in front of the Qamil Rexhepi Grandstand and immediately swung into action.
Wade Dekker, so often the receiver of through balls, turned provider in the middle of the pitch and threaded a needle through the Sharks’ final line defence, perfectly into stride for Smylie as he entered the penalty area.
Dekker’s exquisite pass was equalled, if not bettered by the next, as Smylie played the ball across the face of goal to find his skipper in prime position to tap home the goal.
Having set up his captain earlier in the match, Smylie then doubled the home side’s lead in the 25th minute.
Sensing a moment of separation from his defender, Smylie received the ball in the attacking half and immediately laid it off to Sulemani, before setting off on a darting run through a gap in the Sharks’ last line of defence.
Sulemani returned the ball back, before Smylie poked home the finish with defenders and the goalkeeper closing his space.
The first half was played largely on the Thunder’s terms, creating more chances than their opponents and looking the far more likely team to succeed.
Smylie had another shot saved in stoppage time while a handful of occasions saw the Sharks’ defenders and goalkeeper make goal line saves to prevent further damage.
It took just five minutes into the second half for Smylie to complete his brace, courtesy of a creative volley close to goal.
With players gathered in the Thunder penalty area for a corner, a bouncing ground ball lobbed perfectly in his orbit for a turning volley close to goal.
He made no mistake with the finish to give his side an unassailable 3-0 lead, and all but secure the three points with 40 minutes remaining.
Smylie attracted unwanted attention in April when a sliding challenge that went horribly wrong against Avondale saw him receive a straight red card, and a nine-game suspension.
Since returning he has come off the substitutes bench four times, but on Saturday night played the full 90 minutes for only the third time this season, and the first instance since February.
Along with the Mariners, Smylie played professionally abroad in Iceland last year before returning back to Australia ahead of the 2024 season.
Saturday’s brace was a long time coming, his first goals in the Thunder red and black guernsey.
Thunder failed to keep a clean sheet, conceding in the 84th minute of the contest after a defensive lapse, but Smylie’s efforts ensured the goal was merely a consolation for the visitors.
Thunder next faces Avondale away on Saturday afternoon, and will hope history does not repeat itself from the two sides’ previous fixture, when the Avengers embarrassed Piddick’s side in an 8-0 hammering at home.
