Loughborough Dynamo well beaten by Romulus
EVOSTIK PREMIER LEAGUE
DIVISION ONE SOUTH ROMULUS 4 LOUGHBOROUGH DYNAMO 0 LOUGHBOROUGH Dynamo’s current poor run of form continued in Sutton Coldfield when Romulus scored four without reply to take all three points and continue their climb up the league table.
Dynamo, on the other hand, have only taken two points out of a possible 21, and for the second game in a row finished with only ten players.
Both sides could have scored in the opening 60 seconds. First a long ball caused some confusion at the heart of the Romulus defence between centre back Kris Taylor and goalkeeper Curtis Hall, but when the ball reached Manuchim Oke-William the Dynamo front man’s header was held by Hall. The ball went straight down the pitch and Jordan Fran
cis netted from a right-wing centre but was ruled offside.
Oke-William was prominent again when his eighth minute header from distance was saved by Hall. Three minutes later Dynamo midfielder Paolo Piliero saw his long range shot from the edge of the D go just wide of Hall’s left-hand post.
A threatening centre from the Dynamo right by Luke Smithson in the 19th minute was tipped away by Hall, Romulus breaking at pace and Kartel O’Neill Martin set up Malachi Farquharson who side footed his shot wide.
Romulus broke the deadlock in the 31st minute when Zak Lilly, on as a 10th minute substitute for the injured Todd Evans, collected a long throw in and was allowed to turn and fire home. Before the restart Dynamo Captain Ash Hodgkinson, playing at centre back in the absence of the suspended Carl Sibson had to be substituted due to a knee injury.
Although a goal down, Dynamo were still in the game. Josh Riley floated a shot from the Dynamo left just wide, followed just before half time by a Louis Keenan corner which went across the face of the home goal within the six-yard box, with no Dynamo player able to get a touch.
Within five minutes of the restart Andrews had to leave the field due to an injured ankle, Til Schutheiss coming on to make his Dynamo debut in a defence much changed from the start of the match.
From a Luke Thorogood centre Oke-William produced another header from distance, but it was too far out to put Hall under pressure. Romulus then had a great chance to double their lead in the 63rd minute when confusion in the restructured Dynamo defence saw the home side have a three to one man advantage, but Francis’s low shot was saved by goalkeeper James Martin with his legs.
The home side were not to be denied, however, and a minute later Callum Coyle ran from left to right across the Dynamo penalty area before turning and hitting a low shot across Martin, finding the corner of the Dynamo net.
Romulus had a great chance to add a third in the 67th minute when Francis’s centre from the left was met by Farquharson put his header well wide from a good position. The 70th minute saw poor defending on the Dynamo right, Coyle being unmarked and committed Martin before slotting the ball home.
Riley broke the pressure on the Dynamo defence going down the Romulus end of the pitch and saw his long-range shot go straight at Hall, followed five minutes later with a well struck shot by Keenan, again from some way out, go over Hall’s crossbar.
A fine run by Francis in the 81st minute saw his eventual shot beat Martin but hit his near post and run to safety.
Two minutes later a foul by Dynamo midfielder Holmes was ruled worthy of a straight red card by referee Ed Duckworth, Dynamo going down to ten men for the closing stages of the match.
As the match entered stoppage time Smith’s fine shot beat Hall but cannoned to safety off the home crossbar.
The home side then rubbed more salt into Dynamo wounds when a foul by Schutheiss on Troy Wallen saw the home side awarded a penalty.
For the second match in a row Martin saved the resultant spot kick, but as with the previous match the penalty taker followed up to score, Coyle netting a hat trick and giving Romulus a 4-0 win.