Dandenong City’s late season surge continued over the weekend when the club defeated fourth-placed Oakleigh 1-0 in round 23 of the NPL.
At Frank Holohan Soccer Complex, the contest was quite dour and lacked chances in the first half, with neither team registering a shot on target for the entire half.
Dandenong only had one shot in the first to Oakleigh’s three.
Also, only three corners combined had been handed out and no player had been booked.
However, City found the back of the net in the first big opportunity of the second half to break the deadlock.
Jamie Latham was brought down in an attack outside the box, resulting in a free kick for the hosts.
Latham took the free kick and opted to cross into the box, where Gaku Inaba timed his run to absolute perfection, getting a foot to the ball before the keeper could claim it as he guided it home.
It gave Dandenong the lead in the 55th minute, but the Cannons fought back furiously.
The visitors created multiple goalscoring chances in the second half, firing four shots on target but ultimately coming up empty handed.
City did well to play defensively and conservatively, with Inaba’s goal being the only accurate attempt the team had for the entire match.
Dandenong saw out the result and made it six straight games unbeaten, this time against a team in the top four.
City continues to put pressure on the teams above on the table, drawing out good results against quality opponents over the past few weeks.
For now, Dandenong remains in seventh on the table with eight wins, nine draws and six losses.
In round 24, City will travel to face second-bottom Port Melbourne in what will be another great opportunity for the club to pick up more points and continue to put pressure on the teams above.
