Bacon wraps up a day to forget for Dunston
DUNSTON UTS failed to halt Liversedge’s push for promotion as the visitors claimed all three points with a strong display at the UTS Stadium.
The first big chance of the game went to the visitors when Joe Walton fizzed a header just wide of the post with just five minutes on the clock.
Dunston thought they had taken the lead moments later when in-form striker Michael Fowler had the ball in the net after good work from full-back Craig Baxter.
But the home celebrations were quickly cut short by an offside flag.
After seeing off that scare, the visitors took the lead on 15 minutes when Walton broke the offside trap and set up Declan Bacon, who turned the ball home with the Dunston backline searching for a flag that never arrived.
Just three minutes later, the Sedge doubled their lead.
A Max Dearnley goal kick evaded the Dunston defence and Walton reacted quickest, reaching the bouncing ball before Liam Connell to loop a header in and put the away side firmly in control of the game.
It was one-way traffic as the half edged on, with the visitors nearly adding two more before half time.
Firstly, Paul Walker skewed wide after a fine Liam Connell save from Bacon on the turn, before Lewis Whitham lashed into the side netting having rounded the Dunston stopper on the break.
In the second half, Dunston looked for a way back into the game.
Lam Thear blazed over from the edge of the box and then Michael Fowler poked wide from 25 yards out following a long through ball from Michael Hall.
Despite their endeavour, Dunston
couldn’t find the elusive goal to get them back into the game, and they were punished for their missed chances when Whitham turned Craig Baxter in the box and blasted past Connell to effectively put the game to bed.
Dunston continued to scrap, but a comfortable Liversedge performance was rounded off by Bacon with 20 minutes to play. Despite Craig Scott being involved in an altercation in the visitors’ box after a corner, the referee allowed the game to continue, with Whitham breaking and feeding Bacon, who put the ball over Connell and into the net to round off a fine performance from the promotion chasers.
Sado Djalo came close to scoring for Dunston following his return from Blyth Spartans, turning a shot over in a congested box from a corner but, overall, it was a day to forget for Chris Swailes’ side, who were well beaten.
Dunston: Connell, Baxter, Scott, Turnbull (Djalo), Swailes, Hall, Thear (J. Turnbull), Pearson, Fowler, Coulson, Elliott. Unused Subs: Galbraith, Stafford, Mason
Liversedge: Dearnley, Raw, Smythe, Daly, Tarangadzo, Harris, Whitham, Atkinson (Hardacre), Walton (Steers), Bacon, Walker. Unused Subs: Porter, Morgan, Field.