TRAFFORD made the 300-mile round trip to Dunston on Saturday and returned with a priceless three points in a seven-goal thriller. Following a frantic opening period which saw both ‘keepers called upon to make excellent saves, Trafford’s Lewis Salmon was sent sprawling in the sodden penalty area by Dunston’s centre-half. The young striker picked himself up and dispatched the resultant penalty to put Trafford 1-0 up after 25 minutes.
This sparked the home side into action. Their No.7 Jack Elliot began to apply some pressure down the visitor’s left flank and after one of his pin-point crosses was headed over the bar, Dunston’s Scott Heslop made no mistake a second time to nod an equaliser on 31 minutes.
Perhaps with one eye on the imminent break, Trafford were caught cold in first half injury time when a foray by Dunston’s left back Halliday resulted in him mis-controlling the ball but somehow managing to push it to Heslop, who squeezed it in at the near post from an almost impossible angle.
The second half began with Trafford’s big centre back Keil O’Brien withdrawn through injury. Shawe View stalwart Chris Palmer came on at left back and Joel Amado was employed at centre half and went on to have a fine game in this emergency role.
On 52 minutes, Dunston’s star man Elliot was also withdrawn due to injury. This gave Trafford more of the ball and within four minutes of the change, Jake Kenny’s deep cross from the right evaded both Dunston central defenders and that man Salmon leapt for his, and Trafford’s, second goal of the game.
By now Ross Davidson was conducting the midfield for the yellows, and Trafford’s No.8 capped a Man-of-the-Match performance on the hour when he dispatched a powerful sweeping shot from just outside the box to make it 3-2 to Trafford.
If anyone thought that was the end of the drama they were mistaken. A speculative cross from Dunston’s left somehow bounced like a pinball between Trafford ‘keeper Matt Cooper’s fists and the underside of the crossbar and dropped in to make the score 3-3. The drama STILL wasn’t over, as Tom Baker sent on Darius Palma, and he made an immediate impact firstly firing a wicked deflected shot that was somehow saved by the Dunston goalie, then scoring the winning goal on 80 minutes with a wonderful curling angled 20-yard shot from the right hand side.
The win moves Trafford up to 8th in the table, just two points outside the top four. They continue their Northern Premier League campaign at the Home Estates Shawe View stadium this Saturday 26th October against Marine FC, kick off 3pm. Written by Graham Foxall & Pete McGrath
(Photo by Ken Fitzpatrick, dunstonutsfc.co.uk)