Durrant Durrant Durrant ….As Dreams Become Reality It was billed as the game of the season and it didn’t let the large crowd down. It had everything, great goals, great defending an amazing goal, penalty save and hand bags at dawn at the end.
Shawdale knew they had to win this game against a great side and did just that. With every player playing their part. ‘Tommy The Bolder Ireland’ in net, was a colossus. Making some great saves and saved a penalty right at the death. With only a great free kick beating him to his left. The two Ryan brothers were like a wrestling tag team, chasing back and gnawing at the ankles of the opposition like hungry terriers.
Along with Tweedale and Man Of The Match Temple who were like two barn doors all morning, not putting a step out of place.
Barnes and Dawson challenged for every ball and setting up some great counter attacks. Holmes and Morrow had their footprints on every ball. With Holmes scoring a wonder goal in second half.
Were Shawdale won this game was on the counter, with Eastmond and Durrant unplayable upfront. With the later chipping in with a hat trick.
This is taking nothing away from the visitors; they came to Heyside to do a job. They probably edged possession, but excellent defending scuppered any clear-cut chances for their speedy winger, who was a threat all morning.
The game couldn’t of started any better for the home side, as on five minutes, Dawson turned his player inside out, sent in a wicked cross, that Durrant whipped in front of his defender and headed the ball into the back of the net.
Crown then prodded and poked at Shawdale’s defence, but it held solid for the next twenty minutes. Then that man Eastmond. Popped up in midfield, drove into the heart of the visitors defence, laid a great ball to Durrant, who slotted it past the keeper.
Crown were hit with a bomb shell and it was how they dealt with it, which would determine the outcome of this game.
Much of the remainder of the first half was with Crown pressing but their efforts coming to nothing.
Now on fifty four minutes, the home side were awarded a free kick ten yards in their own half. A quick glance from Holmes saw the keeper off his line a launched a towering thunder bolt, that caught the keeper in no mans land and bounced over his head, to the bewilderment of Crowns players and fans. But hysteria erupted on the Shawdale side, THEY WERE IN DREAM LAND!!!
Was this the day Shawdale finally knocked Crown off their perch?
There was more to come. On sixty-seven minutes, Crown where awarded a free kick just outside the box, which was hit superbly to beat Ireland in the nets.
Was this the come back..? No… was the answer, from the restart, Eastmond found the ball at his feet, again took on the visitors defence, attracted defender like a bee round a honey pot, laid the ball off to Durrant who made it three for the morning, who coolly as a cucumber put the ball in the far corner of the net.
There was still more drama to come, as on eighty-six minutes, Crown were warded a penalty. Ireland who looked the size of an elephant in the net, guessed the right way saved and the rebound was missed.
That summed Crowns morning up. A great side but on this occasion were well beaten on this day.
Near to the final whistle an innocuous tackle by Morrow, left his player rolling around in distress on the ground. The game was stopped rightly for ten minutes for the player to receive medical attention.
All players and supporter wish a speedy recovery to the player, I’m sure it wasn’t intentional.
It was a great game; the incident marred Shawdale’s celebrations at the final whistle but showed the standards of two great sides. This leaves Shawdale at the top of the pile with their destiny now in their own hands with four games to go.
The lads will celebrate this afternoon with a few beers to celebrate a great victory…