06/03/11: The Victory Club (4) v (5) Sunderland Athletic
Scorers: Rodgers, Robson 2, Harding
Team: Swan (GK), Hudson, Bunyan, Davison (c), Lewis, Fisher (Rodgers), Mountford, Collins, Lamb, Robson, Harding
Unused Subs: White
Yellows: Collins
Reds: None
A spirited second half fight back came up just short as the Victory Club found themselves on the wrong end of a nine goal thriller against second placed, Sunderland Athletic at the Fulwell Mill Arena.
Manager, Lee Hermiston, turned up faced with selection problems as five members of his squad – Mark Dryden, Scott Hunter, Steve Jackson, James Smiles and Ben Stores – were all missing as they had stayed down in London following the Sunderland match against Arsenal. The gaffer made two changes bringing in Nathan Hudson and Chris Fisher in place of Dryden and Smiles. Hudson’s recall saw Jonny Lewis switch flanks to play at left back. There was also a change in formation as the Victory reverted back to the 4-5-1 tactic they had used at times earlier in the season. The absence of Smiles meant that Paul Bunyan was now the only Victory player to have started every league and cup game for the team this season.
Sunderland Athletic started positively and passed the ball around crisply. However, the Victory battled away and ensured that despite their opponents dominating possession that they were unable to test Swan in goal.
Greg Davison’s long throw-ins were proving a handful even at this early stage of the game and Simon Mountford almost broke the deadlock when a loose ball fell to him on the edge of the box but unfortunately, despite a good piece of control, his shot went wide of the left hand post.
Sunderland Athletic’s response was swift and they almost went ahead themselves but for the second week in a row, Bunyan was in the right place at the right time and cleared a header from a corner off his own goal line.
After twenty minutes it was very much an even game but then a refereeing decision changed all of that. Jonny Lewis tripped a Sunderland Athletic forward a few yards outside the penalty area but the player, on his way to ground, threw himself into the penalty area. Referee, Colin Stores, had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot. No-one could quite believe the decision. While there was no doubt it was a foul there was also no question that the incident had taken place outside the area. From the resulting spot kick, the Sunderland Athletic player slotted the ball home. It was not the most convincing of penalties but still good enough. The goal was a bitter pill to swallow for the men in red who now found themselves undeservedly behind.
A few minutes later and Chris Fisher’s day got a whole lot worse when he ran at full speed straight into an opposition defender and found himself flattened. On being helped back to his feet it was clear the Victory player was pretty groggy and already just under his eye had become very badly swollen.
With Fisher off the pitch and the Victory touchline trying to decide if he could come back on, Sunderland Athletic exploited their man advantage to double their lead. A long ball over the top saw a Sunderland Athletic forward run clear and after reaching the ball he laid it off to an oncoming team-mate who fired the ball into the top left hand corner despite valiant attempts by Robson and Davison to dive at his feet to block it.
Straight after the concession of the goal it was decided that Chris Fisher was unable to continue and he was replaced by Alex Rodgers.
Sunderland Athletic were now beginning to assert their authority on proceedings and they almost scored for a third time when the big centre forward rolled Davison and hit a left footed shot but Swan was up to the task and tipped it over the bar.
The reprieve was to be short lived though as seven minutes before the interval, Sunderland Athletic went three goals up when a corner from the left was flicked in at the near post. A Sunderland Athletic player ran away trying to claim the goal but replays later showed the ball had in fact gone in off Simon Mountford.
Just before the interval the Victory almost pulled a goal back but Peter Harding’s well struck free kick was beaten away by the keeper.
At the break, Hermiston asked his players to show some character and to try and win the second half and see where that got them.
The Victory came out charged up after the break but were struggling to create much. Sunderland Athletic were having similar problems though and as the game reached the hour mark it was still 3-0.
It was after sixty minutes that the game sprung back into life when the Victory pulled a goal back. A Davison free kick was delivered into the area where it was flicked back across the area by Hudson to Rodgers. The Victory substitute strode onto the knock down and steered the ball through a crowd of bodies and into the back of the net with his left foot to chalk up his third goal of the season. This goal being the first of the three not to have gone in off his shoulder/back.
The two goal deficit did not last long though as within five minutes, Sunderland Athletic had restored their three goal cushion. A cross from the right looped over the back pedalling Swan who was only able to get a faint touch to tip it onto the bar. With Swan on the floor, the ball rebounded kindly for a Sunderland Athletic player who cut inside Hudson before slamming a shot in at the near post.
The Victory kept plugging away and a couple of minutes later they reduced their arrears once again. Referee, Colin Stores, still being roundly booed by the Victory supporters following his penalty decision in the first half, awarded the home side a free kick twenty five yards from goal. Up stepped Stephen Robson who hit a firm left footed curling shot towards goal. On its way goal wards the ball flicked off a player in the wall which sent it past the now wrong footed keeper and into the other corner of the net. The dubious goals panel was called into action but credited the strike to Robson as his initial shot was going to be on target. It was the perfect response by Robson, who was forced to deny rumours before the game started that he was to blame for the fire in Wilkinson’s on Saturday morning.
Shortly after the goal, Anth ‘Gattuso’ Collins picked up a yellow card to match the bright new yellow boots he was sporting for the first time in this game. The referee cautioned the midfield enforcer for a lunging tackle although rather than fouling an opponent Collins only succeeded in wiping out his own team-mate, Peter Harding.
With a little under twenty minutes remaining, Sunderland Athletic made the score 5-2. A lapse in concentration from Bunyan allowed an attacker to drift in behind him and he was made to pay when the forward, picked out by a right wing cross, guided a first time shot with his left foot right into the top corner.
Still the Victory did not give in and with around thirteen minutes left, Stephen Robson grabbed his second of the game. Some good pressure from the wide man forced a Sunderland Athletic defender into an error and Robson took full advantage sprinting clear and rolling a right foot shot under the keeper as he came out to close him down.
With ten minutes to go the Victory elected to go three at the back and push Greg Davison up front to act as another forward.
The move worked more or less instantly as Davison more than played his part in the Victory’s fourth goal. A long ball was flicked on by the skipper into the path of Harding and the Victory forward showed good upper body strength to hold off a defender, who was trying to bring him down, to slide the ball home with his left foot. The Victory now had a little over seven minutes to try and claim what had seemed like an unlikely equaliser.
Sunderland Athletic visibly stunned that their opponents had fought back in such a way, were now starting to wobble and were struggling to get out of their own half.
Robson got in down the left and squared the ball across the box but agonisingly for the Victory, Lamb at the near post was just unable to stretch his leg out far enough to turn the ball home.
In the final couple of minutes, Davison almost grabbed the leveller the Victory’s second half performance warranted but his header from Robson’s in swinging free kick was straight at the keeper.
At the final whistle the relief on the faces of the Sunderland Athletic players was clear for all to see. Ultimately for the men in red it was another league defeat but they can take great heart from their second half display and came very close to snatching something out of the game they looked dead and buried in at half time. Next week sees the Victory face the Golden Lion FC in a crucial relegation battle for the second time in a month. The Victory will be buoyed by their second half efforts in this game and will be keen for revenge having lost 3-2 to next weeks opponents a month ago in a match in which they should most certainly have won.
