Match Report

Dunton Dynamos 4 - 2 Ockendon Rhinos

Divisional Cup semi-final - 1st March 2009; Conditions: Dry and mild

What a performance! This is one of this sides best ever team performances! They were outstanding in all areas of the park and got a well-deserved win against the present League leaders.

Having won our group in the earlier stages of the competition, we drew a potentially very difficult game against Ockendon with the winners going through to the Cup final. We knew it was going to be a difficult game and that everyone would have to be on top form. Our preparations for the game had been good with a hard-fought win last weekend followed by a positive training session on Thursday.

The Great Berry pitch was in immaculate condition - and so it should be as we've hardly used it all season. The surface was soft but not wet and the weather was mild and dry - perfect football conditions!

Team captain today was Jordan whose maturity and leadership improve with every week. Liam went back in goal for this game after playing most of the recent games as a centre-back. He slotted straight back into the role and picked up where he left off with an air of confidence and composure - just what every team would want in a keeper! Chaz played on the left-side of defense with Jack on the right. In the middle were Billy and James G (following a recent stint in-goal). The midfield comprised Harry on the right with Ceiran on the left. In the middle were James M and George. Up-front were Sonny and Jordan. Subs in the first-half were Joseph, Ben and Calum. Cameron was not well and therefore unavailable for selection today.

Ockendon won the toss and elected to kick-off. They quickly started to assert their authority on the game with some excellent passing moves in midfield. Straight from the off it was clear the big Ockendon number six was their play-maker - he was at the heart of everything they did and had blistering pace. Our back-four remained well-organised and were able to cope with most things well with Liam organising things as only Liam can!

The Dynamos grew in confidence with every passing minute, their organisation and discipline were commendable and made life quite frustrating for the Ockendon forwards. We started launching counter-attacks with Sonny and Jordan looking menacing up-front. We were awarded a succession of corners following sustained pressure, but Ockendon managed to scramble the ball away on each occasion. Surely it would be only a matter of time before the ball hit the back of the Ockendon net!

The, fifteen minutes into the game and somewhat against the run of play Ockendon scored a superb opening goal. The ball broke on our right-side and the Ockendon forward looked up and placed the ball expertly onto the bottom corner past Liam's despairing dive. No goalkeeper in the world would have stopped that shot!

Unlike in previous seasons, the Dynamos rallied and were determined to equalise. And within minutes our tactics worked. Sustained pressure led to Jordan finding himself in plenty of space in the box and he looped the ball past the Ockendon keeper to make the score one-all. And just before half-time, it got even better - Sonny broke through and was one-on-one with the keeper. He let rip with a ferocious shot which screamed into the bottom right-hand corner to send the home fans into raptures! The score remained 2-1 until half-time.

Paul made three changes in the second-half. Ben came on to replace Ceiran on the left side whilst Joseph came on to replace Harry on the right. George was replaced by Calum in midfield. These decisions were very difficult as every single player was playing superbly.

Fine minutes into the second half, the Ockendon supporters were screaming for a penalty when one of their players went down in the box. The referee allowed play to continue as he deemed the challenge to be fair (six of one and half-a-dozen of the other). The Dynamos response was swift. The ball was pinged up to the other end of the park for Jordan to race onto. His shot thundered back off the bar and was followed up by Joe who chipped a sublime shot over the stranded Ockendon keeper and defenders into the back of the net. 3-1 to the Dynamos.

Minutes later, the Ockendon fans were calling for another penalty after one of their players again went over in the box. Our keeper had raced out to clear the ball and clearly made contact with the ball before falling into the attacking player. The referee quite rightly allowed play to continue which resulted in an Ockendon corner.

The Dynamos continued to assert their authority in midfield. James M came off to be replaced by George. We had several more breakaway efforts on the Ockendon goal and were rewarded with a fourth goal soon after. Excellent play by Jordan and Sonny up-front resulted in a goalmouth scramble which ended with Jordan slotting his second goal home.

To their credit, the Ockendon side continued to press us in the latter stages seeking to get back into the game. The were rewarded with a goal five minutes from time when our defense got their offside trap all wrong leaving Liam hopelessly exposed. The Ockendon forward neatly lobbed our advancing keeper to ensure the last five minutes would be tense! As it was, we held out and will therefore go through to the final to play either Stadium United or Thurrock Tigers.

This was without doubt a fantastic result which came as a consequence of hard work and a fantastic collective effort by the boys. Liam had a very solid game between the stick and is now looking more and more like a natural goalkeeper. His kicking (both from hands and from goal kicks) is of a very high order and his enthusiasm and confidence in this role rubs of on others. The two full-back (Jack and Chaz) was also superbly efficient today - they didn't take any chances and continually frustrated the Ockendon forwards with their excellent positional awareness. Also at the back were Billy and eventual man-of-the-match James G. Both played the best they've played for a long time. They maintained their discipline and snuffed out numerous Ockendon attack before they became dangerous.

In midfield all four wingers were excellent - Harry and Ceiran in the first-half chased every loose ball and launched a number of good counter attack and Joseph an Ben came on in the second-half with excellent pace and determination shown by Ben and sublime finishing by Joseph. Up-front, we could have the making of a dream partnership - Sonny and Jordan played well together and were even passing the ball (something they're not accustomed to doing!). Sonny's pace is formidable - he's so fast he was able to give the Ockendon full-backs a ten yard start and still be first to the ball on most occasions! Jordan played a very mature captain's role - he was supportive of his team-mates and lead by example with his movement and excellent finishing up-front.

There's no doubt about it, this was a very impressive Dunton performance and one that resulted in a well-deserved win! Well done boys - congratulations to you all on a superb individual and collective team performance. Wembley here we come (well almost!).

Our thanks go to the Ockendon team for an excellent game. They're clearly a very good side and one that is sure to bounce back quickly - let's hope not too quickly though as we've got them in the League again very soon!