By Roy Ward
DANDENONG Thunder star import Nate Foster is starting to earn the attention a leading player should – the problem is some of that is negative.
Foster overcame some physical challenges to score an 87th-minute equaliser to help the Thunder to a 1-1 draw with South Melbourne at George Andrew Reserve in the Victorian Premier League on Saturday.
It was his seventh goal from eight games and cancelled out Dimi Hatzimouratis’ 76th-minute goal for South Melbourne.
But Thunder coach Chris Taylor has made it clear he believes Foster was given too much off-ball attention from South Melbourne’s defence.
“Nate had a pretty torrid time,” he said. “The handling he received was a little ordinary – they tried to take him out of the game but he still had a good chance in the first half, another good chance in the second half and then late on he got on the end of set piece from Ross Thompson.
“It was good to see Nate finish with his head. Teams are certainly paying a lot more attention to him after the first five rounds and that is something he will have to learn to deal with.”
Taylor said he had fielded several calls from player agents and people connected with A-League clubs asking about Foster. But he also said the Canadian striker was not as easy to sign, as he was a visa player.
Taylor has also urged his players to lift their performance and the conversion rate after failing to capitalise on their chances against South.
“We controlled most of game but it takes going a goal down for us to lift,” he said. “We had three or four chances after that and if we had taken our chances we would have won.
“We just seemed to get sucked into playing the tempo they were playing. Taking our chances was one of our strengths at the start of the season and we need to get back to that.”
The Thunder will also be keenly watching defender Craig Elvin, who suffered a cut to his face late in the game and needed several stitches.
The Thunder have a short turnaround before a top-of-the-table clash with Oakleigh Cannons at Jack Edwards Reserve in Oakleigh at 8.30pm this Friday. “It will be tough but we have to be ready for this match,” Taylor said.
State League 1 side Dandenong City lost 3-1 to Pascoe Vale and sits in sixth place on the league ladder.
In Provisional League 3, Noble Park beat Ringwood City 4-1 at Jubilee Park in Ringwood and will go into its clash with White Star Dandenong this Saturday full of confidence. Scores from White Star’s clash with Whitehorse United were unavailable yesterday.
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