Fusion United

[David Malone]

In the leagues late evening kick-off, Fusion United took on a struggling Dino FC hoping to keep pace with Polla FC by recording a win. The away team sat 9th in the table, had their confidence raised with a win in their last game, and where hoping to continue this form on at the United Stadium.

In an change from normality, the manager opted to field a much more unused team vs Dino, making 7 changes from the 2-2 Draw with Lucian FC a day earlier. It would prove useful to see the younger and more unused players play, as the manager will have to decide who is surplus to requirements at the end of the season, and who will be staying on with the Clarets for the next term. The manager placed 5 first team players on the bench, just in case the game was not going the way the Clarets would like.

The new team set up did themselves a lot of favours as in the first half, they didn't concede, while looking menacing on the break. 4 shots on goal with 2 on target set the tone for the game as a whole, with United camped out in the opposing half for large period, with the long ball forward proving the only way out for Dino. Sadly for Adrian Rice, his chance to show the manager what he was made of came to an abrupt halt, when on 30 mins he came out of a tackle and stayed down after the fall, citing an ACL tear, Rice will be out for the next 6 days. Promut came on in his place to see out the game. Half time score was United 0 - 0 Dino FC.

Feeling that the current strikers on the field, Fathy and Walsh, where not penetrating the Dino defence enough, the manager took them off on 52 minutes and replaced them with Keane and Sturridge, which is already proving a deadly force in attack with goal ratings of 2.25 per game together. The effect was almost immediate but it was not the strike force that would break the defence, but our left winger, Paul Williams got onto the end of a Kenny cross and header-ed forcefully into the opposition net. 1-0 to the Clarets, and you sensed, once one went in, the floodgates where about to open.

After that, it very much became the Struridge and Keane show, when on 65 minutes a neat one two between the two, left Keane unmarked inside the box, he rifled in from 18 yards, leaving the keeper stranded. 2-0 to the Clarets, and with Dino tiring, they slowly retreated into their on half, a method to control the damage, as they felt the game was now beyond them.

For all their defending, Dino where made to pay, as sloppy play at the back allowed Keane to snatch the ball away from the dallying defender, and cross to Sturridge, who took the ball down, rounded the keeper with ease, and slotted in for 3.0 to the hosts on 74 Minutes.

Less than 4 minutes later, Keane was at it again, weaving his way past two defenders, and this time setting up Borguignon, who had made a superb run from defence who volleyed home a screamer to make the score 4-0.With the result all but sealed, the question turned to what the end result was going to be with a rampant United attack almost scoring at will.

Sturridge, not keen to be left out of the party, set up Keane with a lovely chip over the keeper, leaving the striker with the simplest of tasks, tapping into an open net. 5-0 to the Clarets, rout completed. United kept the ball for the remainder of the game, content to stroke it about to the amusement of the home fans. And the score stayed the same until the final whistle, a fine day at the office for the hosts.

Final Score: Fusion United 5 - 0 Dino FC