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Dunipace Junior Football Club
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Dunipace 2 - 1 Stonehouse |
30/08/08 - Westfield Park, Denny |
Central League: Division 2 |
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Substitutes
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After last weeks excellent performance against Newmains in the League opener, Dunipace came into this fixture full of confidence and looking to build upon their early season form. The opening to the game was a stuffy affair, with neither side able to retain possession or create anything against the opposition defence. Dunipace, finding it difficult to find the passing game that had serverd so well in the previous fixtures, struggling to get a hold of the game. 
During this period the home side did manage to fashion a few chances, with Wright going close from just outside the area and Pincombe drilling a shot past the post after some good build up play. This pattern continued in the first half hour, with neither side creating any clear cut chances. Bryan Grant headed over at the back post and Chris Cairney volleyed over from 12 yards, but neither was any more than a half chance, and it was Stonehouse who grabbed the opener. A cross from the Dunipace right was punched by Strachan into the path of the midfielder who drilled the visitors only shot of the first half into the net. 
As the half wore on the game was being contested mainly in the midfield area, with Dunipace eventually managing to string some passes together towards the end of the half. Grant dropped back into the centre of midfield, with Wright pushing further forward in support of Pincombe and Grant's deeper role allowed him to get on the ball and dictate the play for the home side in a taster of what was to come in the second half. 1 - 1 at half time and the Referee would have been the happiest man at the ground to get in for a break, questioned at every available opportunity and at one stage having the rules of the game explained to him by the visiting defender! Overall though, the whistler had a good half (which would run into a good game) in what was certainly a keenly contested encounter. The second half saw Dunipace raise the tempo in search for the goal that would drag them back into the game, but it started pretty much the same as the first had finished with the game being contested in midfield. It took 10 minutes or so for the home side to impose themselves on the game, but when they did it was constant pressure towards the visitors goal, which at times led a charmed life. |
 
First, Grant had a drive from the edge of the area blocked, before MacMillan played a 1 - 2 with Grant and saw his effort suffer a similar fate. Moffat, who had replaced the injured Wright, saw an excellent effort come back off the post with the keeper beaten, then had a volley from 6 yards superbly saved 5 minutes later. Stonehouse did manage to create 1 chance in the midst of this. A ball in from the left hit no less than 3 defenders before landing in the path of the forward. He took the ball on, rounded Strachan and fell claiming the penalty. Never a penalty and in truth the attacker fortunate not to be cautioned for his claims, but in any event his team mate blazed over the bar. 
Dunipace again grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and began to play some excellent stuff, McPhail down the left seeing a lot of the ball. Again though, the vistors goal was hard to find, more so when Dunipace were doing the defending THEMSELVES! Pincombe, latching onto a loose ball fired goalward and with the keeper beaten saw the ball blocked by the unlucky Moffat, who had no chance of getting out of the way. It seemed the goal was never going to come, until Bryan Grant stepped up with a fantastic half volley from 18 yards. McPhails ball in was only headed half clear under pressure from Nairn and Grant controlled his strike expertly to blast beyond the keepers right hand and into the corner. It was one way traffic from this point, with Dunipace having a strong penalty claim when Nairn was bundled over inside the 6 yard box. Ultimately though, the decision was not to matter as Warner Devlin collected a long drive from Sean McCafferty before turning and clipping beyond the sprawling keeper and into the corner. 
An excellent three points for Dunipace in a game where in large spells they failed to play to the standard set in recent games. But these are the games results have to be dug out and Dunipace certainly did that with aplomb. |
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