IN one of the best finals seen in the South West for many seasons the Dunsborough Towners and Bunbury Dynamo fought out a thrilling 3-3 draw after extra time in the Premier League South West Cup at Churchill Park in Busselton on Sunday.
The outcome needed to be decided by a penalty shootout that Dynamo achieved in a 3-0 canter, in great part to the goalkeeping of Ryan Montgomery.
It was a red letter day for Dynamo who also won three other South West titles with the Women overcoming Hay Park 1-0 in the Premier League cup, beating Collie in the Women’s Reserve League Cup and the men beating Australind 2-0 in the Division one cup.
Geographe Bay, unbeaten in the Championship league in 2014, defeated Margaret River 2-0 in the Championship cup while Bunbury United beat Hay Park 3-0 in the men Premier League Reserve Cup.
There was little between the two sides in the main game and once again that when they have all players available Dunsborough are up there with the best in the league.
Dynamo dominated in the first half creating five corners to none and seemed certain to coast to victory.
But all they had to show for the domination by half time was a solitary goal in the 25th minute when a through ball ricocheted off three defenders to find Mauro Gheza who finished off his run with a deadly strike inside the far post.
Credit for keeping the Towners in the game must go to the defence whose tenacity negated the threat Dynamo posed.
The second half was a different story with Dunsborough getting on the front foot and equalising in the 51st minute from their first corner when Chris Blackburn headed home from close range on the far post
It was the calm quality and precision of Blackburn’s distribution that was at the heart of Dunsborough’s revival and deservedly was awarded the player of the final by the match officials.
Against the run of play disaster struck in the 80th minute when the Towners’ defence stopped, calling for an offside that was not given, allowing Dynamo’s Ryan Price to pick up a square pass and tap into an empty net.
Though they seemed doomed Dunsborough continued to press forward and were rewarded in the 86th minute when defender Redar Savor somehow toe poked home from a corner through a crowded goalmouth to send the game into extra time.
Within one minute Dynamo were back in front when Gheza was given time to pick his spot, but again the Towners were not to be denied and two minutes later Michael Raper hammered a shot into the crossbar that rebounded over the line for yet another equaliser.
It was all Dunsborough for the rest of extra time and in the final minute only the far post to a Delatte fierce drive from the right wing denied the Towners victory.
