NK Dons FC vs Northfleet United FC
Guest Post by Matt Fairbairn
After an undeserved cup exit the Dons looked to bounce back against Northfleet United and reignite their league campaign. The Dons could be forgiven for thinking this match would be a walk over. The previous meeting between the two teams resulted in a Dons 3-0 win with ample chances to get into the double digits. Today would not be as smooth sailing.
The Dons would be without their talisman Chris Wade, due to injury, and were also missing other key players who decided to scout for upcoming stars at Bloomfield Road.
The Dons needed a quick start and did not disappoint, flying out of the blocks, creating wave after wave of attacks. Zach Kyte and Matthew Fairbairn were finding themselves in acres of space down the left wing with the midfield finding plenty of possession on the ball.
It didn’t take long before the Northfleet United defence crumbled under the ever present pressure of the Dons attacking force. A stunning ball whipped into the box by Seán Mulvihill couldn’t be missed, and the flying head of Luke Vint ensured the Dons took the early lead. NK Dons 1 – 0 Northfleet United.
Vint throws his head at the ball to open the scoring
With memories of the previous victory and the dominant start by the Dons, it was clear the players were tallying up how many fantasy football points they’ll be able to earn. The floodgates were opening… or were they…
Northfleet’s attacks were easy to defend against during open play, however it was a set piece which proved the undoing of the Dons defence. A floated free-kick into the box gave rise to a “heart in the mouth” goal mouth scramble. Not wanting to settle for just one own goal in the season or just trying to deny a Northfleet attacker the right to the goal, Nick Menzies took it upon himself to deliver a tidy finish into the bottom corner of the Dons goal. NK Dons 1 – 1 Northfleet United.
It couldn’t have been more than 30 seconds from the restart and the Dons showed just why they have been heralded as the next Barcelona. The Dons carved through Northfleet’s defence like a knife through butter, and with some keep ball reminiscent of the Dons pre-season training routine, it only took a stunning low drive by Dons stand in Simon to reclaim the lead. NK Dons 2 – 1 Northfleet United.
10 minutes later the Dons showed their defensive Achilles heel again… set pieces. A Northfleet United corner was floated into the box and saw an unchallenged towering forward, header the ball into the corner of the goal. NK Dons 2 – 2 Northfleet United.
The two goals against the Dons were unmistakeably against the run of play. It showed as the Dons retook the majority of possession and kept pressing forward, looking to go ahead for the third time in the game.
Unfortunately Northfleet United managed to win themselves another free-kick on the edge of the Dons box. With both goals conceded from set pieces and minutes before half-time the Dons were noticeably nervous. The ball was delivered and after a handful of sliced clearances the ball finally
broke to the feet of Northfleet United and was driven past a helpless Phil Sewell. NK Dons 2 – 3 Northfleet United.
HALF-TIME : 2 – 3
Half-time saw James Sargent replaced by “Dan Fowler” and, with a slight formation change, the Dons looked to start the second half the same way they started the first.
Expect to see the New Dan "Fahhhla" disguises in the Club Shop soon
It was a tense first 10 minutes of the second half with both teams seeing plenty of the ball. The late goal in the first half seemed to give Northfleet United hope, and they played with more confidence creating a few chances which put the Dons on edge.
After 60 minutes the superior fitness of the NK Dons became apparent with the hours of pre-season fitness training showing its worth. The Dons reclaimed the majority of possession and with fluent passing football were able to open up Northfleet United’s defence. Luke Vint slotted through Seán Mulvihill who tucked away the equaliser with a very tidy finish, a goal which the captain thoroughly deserved. NK Dons 3 – 3 Northfleet United.
The game was now on a knife-edge with both teams looking to snatch the 3 points. The Dons needed to try a new attacking option and it came in the form of the long throw. Many opponents seem to have this in their arsenal; however none of them had the illegitimate son of Rory Delap. Newly brought on “Dan Fowler” delivering throws right into the heart of Northfleet United’s penalty area. Every throw brought the Dons more hope with the chaos it created for the Northfleet United defence.
It happened rarely during the game, but a worrying moment for the Dons was when a counter-attack by Northfleet United found many of the Dons players out of position. It took a blatant professional foul by Lewis Gray to see this attack break up when he tripped the attacker who was running through on goal. There were cries for a red card however Gray was only cautioned to the disbelief of the Northfleet players.
15 minutes before the end Gray rubbed more salt in the wounds by heading past the Northfleet keeper. The goal came from one of the long throws which had caused so many problems during the second half. The NK Dons had taken the lead for the third time during the game, and only 15 minutes to hold on. NK Dons 4 – 3 Northfleet United.
The NK Dons were able to hold off Northfleet United’s attack for the last 15 minutes to record themselves their second league win of the season moving them up to 6th place. The NK Dons were deserved winners but were made to work very hard for the victory in this 7 goal thriller.
Result : 4 – 3 (W)
MoM : Seán Mulvihill
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