‪#‎AA4s‬ v Easts FC 1-2 – The battle for Steph Allerdice

Sunday, 3PM, the prime TV slot for the audiences across the wor…..the audie….erm the people in the park! Sunday after was bright and sunny, Queens Park was full and bursting…..people were out enjoying the last throws of autumn, watching their kids play football, walking their dogs murmuring about the gladiators from Easts and Dunbar preparing to do battle! This game was known by said people as the Battle for Steph Allerdice (her boyfriend plays for Easts but her heart is firmly with Dunbar).
So Dunbar, back on track, 1 point off the league leaders following the 6-1 demolition of Maccabi in midweek were up against Easts, fresh from beating league leaders Coogee the previous Sunday. An epic battle was sure to follow. Dunbar’s 3-5-2 formation going down the hill was countered by Easts happy to play a 4-4-2 and largely ready to hit Dunbar on the break, capitalising on any mistakes.
The game quickly fell into a familiar pattern for the first 45 minutes, Dunbars wide play stretched East with Abhi having particular joy down the right flank. Chances came but lines were fluffed and the score remained 0-0. Easts would come forward when they could and fired chances high and wide before hitting the post when time appeared to stand still. Then with an air of inevitability, Dave ‘Del Boy’ Lynes popped up in the box to score number 16 for the season. Cue the time for Dunbar to turn the screw and bag one or two more before half-time but the whistle shrieked and half time was reached with Dunbar only a goal to the good.
This is a position the team has found itself in numerous times this season, winning at half time we called for the usual ruthlessness and intensity after the break. A task that would be difficult with the team playing uphill and a setting sun lower than the current price of a barrel of oil, not that you would know, 135c for a litre of E10!!!!!! Nevertheless, we were determined to see this game out. However a defensive mix up and a lack of communication (this has been our problem all year) saw an Easts striker through one on one, he’s effort hit the post but the follow up was met by Easts who converted to make it one all. A soft freekick was awarded to East but was well tipped over the bar before the save of the game saw the Easts goalkeeper make a brilliant point blank save to push Dave’s volley up, over and safe.
Dunbar began huffing and puffing but couldn’t blow the Easts house down, Andy Morris miskicked when certain to score, a Dave Lynes volley flew narrowly wide, another effort was cleared off the line. But commeth the 76th minute, commeth the man……you guessed it, Dave Lynes, finished from close range to make the score 2-1 to Dunbar, secure his 17th of the season and send the crowd (and there was a crowd) into mass hysteria. But wait, what was this? What had we missed??? Confusion reigned with the referee doing some sort of Macarena meets YMCA dance but he was signalling for offside! We won’t mention the number 10 for Easts, boyfriend of Steph Allerdice who was playing everyone onside 😉 – Damn you Matt!
Things got worse when Dunbar failed to clear the ball from the ensuing Easts attack, the ball fell to an oncoming player who struck the ball from 25 yards with it sailing into the top corner! 2-1 EASTS and this was not in the script. There was still time for Stephen Murphy to go on a mazy run that Richard O’Brien would have been pleased with, but unfortunately no crystal and the game petered out much to the dismay of Dunbar and ecstasy of Easts. Defeat number 2 of the season and the battle of Steph Allerdice was won by Easts!