Zion FC suffered their fourth consecutive winless game, after a convincing 5-2 Dazeone victory, left them facing the prospect of a relegation battle. Dazeone however, seem to be the real deal this season and this result strengthened their title ambitions.
The huge amount of respect that both sides have for one another was perhaps the reason that this clash of two great rivals failed to burst into life from the kick off. Zion were entering the match on the back of the worst run of form in their history. Dazeone were desperate for a win, as they looked to end their 5 season spell without a trophy. It was a counter attack that sparked the game into life. Zion lost possession of the ball in Dazeone territory only for their opponents to break forward with pace and determination. A powerful strike was too hot for Steve Winter to handle and Zion found themselves a goal down. The Lions fans urged their team to respond, and they tried to do just that. Many attacks were thwarted by good defensive interceptions and tackles. Fine goalkeeping was on display at either end with Dazeone's second choice keeper staking a claim for a regular spot by saving several Zion attempts. Steve Winter was performing heroic saves in the Zion goal, as The Lions were regularly being exposed at the back by a quick one-two or ball in behind for the Dazeone strikers to chase. It was their strikers pace that allowed them to double their lead midway through the half. The skillful striker beat his man and placed his shot wide of Winter's reach. Tommy Powell superbly brought Zion back into the game with a fantastic shimmy round the keeper and a neat finish with his left foot. This should have sparked a fightback, but Zion seemed to be off the pace and were found wanting again, before the break when another counter attack caught the defence off guard and Dazeone used their man over to regain a two goal advantage.
Powell's teamtalk seemed to have buoyed his troops as Zion came out hungry in the second half. They had a five minute spell of pressure with several attempts from Powell, Tony Dain, Dan Shotton, and David Jones all being thwarted by either inaccuracy or the impressive Dazeone stopper. Winter's goal was then under considerable attack as Dazeone realised that they couldn't afford to rest on their laurals. Winter made several crucial saves that kept Zion in with a chance. Hope then seemed to be extinguished when Dazeone eventually beat Winter with a low drive into the bottom left corner of the goal. Zion continued to hold the belief that they could recover from the huge deficit they now faced, as they surged forward looking for goals. This left them vulnerable in defensive positions as Shotton was regularly left alone againts several opponents. The 6'8" defender made some great tackles and interceptions as did Dain, however, Dazeone's numerical advantage in these positions allowed them to pass around the isolated last man and expose Winter's goal. The goal was breached to make the score 5-1, but not after Winter had made them work for it. Powell had displayed a much improved performance and his efforts were rewarded when he doubled his tally in the closing moments of the game to give Zion a consolation. Great interchange with Shotton allowed Powell to finish cheekily through the legs of the keeper.
Tommy Powell stormed out of the post match press conference as he was bombarded by questions relating to his sides impending relegation battle. When asked to explain his managers actions midfielder David Jones defiantly stated, "We are not in the relegation zone and our run in, with all due respect seems considerably easier than those around us. The gaffer has every right to distance himself from all the negativity the media is obsessed with. No team is too good to go down, but we have two very win-able games and we expect to win both of them, not just the one that you guys think we need to stay up." Tony Dain empathised with the frustrated Zion fans when he commented, "Something doesn't seem right at the moment and we aren't playing with the same flair that we have been associated with in the past. Maybe the gap between defence and attack needs to be smaller with more link up play." Dan Shotton gave an honest account of his sides struggles, "We have been a bit flat in recent games and I think that is as a result of an inconsistent team. DJ for example was playing in a defensive capacity for a while and is now having to adjust back to his midfield role. I have just come back from a long term injury and these things take time. We are now back to arguably our most balanced side, and so as soon as we get back in the swing of things we will be formidable again, I have no doubts about that." The league table makes great reading for Dazeone who are at the summit, leading Bike Track Cosmos by one point. However, it is that same one point margin that separates Zion from the drop zone. The Lions fans will be hoping for three relegation avoiding points next week against Amplicon Athletic as the season draws close to its conclusion.
