#AA2 4-3 Maccabi Hakoah AA2
After last weeks heartbreak of losing on penalties in the qualifying final Dunbar’s Aa2s had their first of 3 must win games to be crowned champions .Their first hurdle Maccabi Hakoah who during the normal season gave Dunbar two intense games of football 1-1 away ,and a close fought 1-0 win for Dunbar at the reg .This game wasn’t going to be different .
The Game started off as a real cagey affair with both sides not wanting to make any mistakes knowing a defeat would
Kiss their football season a sorry goodbye until next season.This game need abit of luck ,magic or a mistake to get it going ,And around the 25 min mark we got just that.An inviting corner into the box which Maccabi’s keeper went to claim and missed a flick on from Glenn allowed the ball to fall to an unlikely goalscorer in richy kettle who poked home to give Dunbar a 1-0 lead.And Dunbar worked hard after that to keep it tight until
the HT whistle came .
Second half was a completely different game .Dunbar started hungrier with the intentions of killing Maccabi off early and that’s exactly what they thought they’d done when the ball was played out wide to Rob mc who shifted the ball to make a yard for himself to curl the ball over the Maccabi keeper who was left in no mans land 2-0 Dunbar.
A constant theme in the Aa2s games this year is that they don’t do it the easy way and this game although looked
like been comfortable wasn’t going to be any different .A quick 1/2 from Maccabi down the right flank opened up the Dunbar defence and the ball was slotted home to half the deficit 2-1 ,game on .
Both teams turned up to the game with only 12 players and having an injury each in fhe first half forcing their only sub left it down to the 22 on the pitch with fatigue kicking in this game was beginning to open up .After some scrappy play in the midfield the ball was played over the top and a missed clearance from the Maccabi defender allowed Dunbars inform striker Ron to run in and calmly lift the ball over the Keepers head who again was caught in no mans land again , 3-1 Dunbar with 20 to go surely game over ? Not a chance.
15mins to go a Maccabi corner from the left completely missed from Dunbar falling straight to one of their smallest players who Had a free header and an open goal couldn’t miss and didn’t 3-2 ,nervy 15 ahead.
In any football game wether your losing to Barcelona or Dunbar rovers if you need a goal in the final mins you’ll get atleast one chance ,Maccabi had 5 or 6 .The fatal one was a missed ball from the Dunbar keeper allowing the striker to run in behind missing his shot before the ball eventually finding its way to a Maccabi a player on the penalty spot to slot home the equaliser 3-3 more heartbreak for the Aa2s having been in the lead 3 times the week before and to have dominated Maccabi in the game and heading for another dreaded extra time or worse yet penalties ,which could of been the best they hoped for with Maccabi having all the momentum heading into what looked like extra time .
Dunbar needed a hero in these dying seconds and they got one moments after Maccabi completely threw away a golden one on one chance in the final minute the ball was pumped up long finding its way to Christophe who was quarter backing Dunbar’s counter attack all season,he picked out cathair out of position playing right back who ironically found himself the furthest he’d been all game ,turned the defender inside out before curling a beautiful ball into the far post where rob mc was waiting and buried his header to give Dunbar a last second winner the boys went mental as if the ref had blown his whistle (which he did 20seconds later).
A hard fought last minute win ,the DNA of this Aa2 team who don’t do anything the easy way .Next week another must win preliminary final against Coogee awaits ,the prize a grand final against Redfern at Hensley ,doesn’t get
Much better than that .
Final result Dunbar 4-3 Maccabi