Comets fire for late draw

Casey Comet Wayne Schembri jumps over a Tomi Muretic slide tackle during the 1-1 draw with Dandenong City on Saturday. 29655 Picture: Meagan Rogers

By Stuart Teather
SOCCER was back on the weekend after a break over Easter and Casey Comets fought out a 1-1 draw with local rival Dandenong City in State League Two South East action.
The Comets went down a goal early in the piece, but won a reprieve at the 10-minute mark when Dandenong City striker Joseph Petruzalek was red carded for spitting.
But the one-man advantage did little to help the Comets in the first half, according to coach Tony Saunders.
“I didn’t think we played well at all in the first half, in the second we totally dictated the play, but in the first we were very, very poor,” he said. “We just let them dictate the game.”
The side lifted in the second half and eventually broke through in the 81st minute, with David Terek scoring on the breakaway.
“It was good to get the draw given we had a very disappointing start to the game,” Saunders said.
The Comets now sit ninth with one point, but are a game behind the rest of the league due to the Comets’ first game being postponed.
Saunders said his side had plenty to work on before the game this weekend. “Probably the midfield, we’ve got to change things around and get more work-rate out of the midfield,” he said.
In State League Three South East, Berwick City had a 0-0 draw with the Waverley Wanderers at Jack Thomas Reserve. Berwick City is still searching for its first win of the season after taking two points from its first three games.
In Provisional League One South East, the two local hopes, Endeavour United and Doveton, fought out the local derby on Saturday, with Doveton coming away with the points. The Doves got up 3-1 at Reema Reserve on the back of two goals to Anthony Hermus and another to Leon Buhic, while Michael Ciccarelli found the net for Endeavour.
The result sees Doveton move up to fifth on the ladder with four points, while Endeavour United sits in last, winless after three games.
This weekend, Casey Comets take on Port Melbourne at SS Anderson Reserve, Berwick City hosts Croydon City Arrows, Endeavour heads to H.A Smith Reserve to face Old Scotch and Doveton stays at home to Monbulk.