soccer
STATE LEAGUE
by samuel darroch
MORWELL Pegasus is undefeated after two rounds of the State League two south-east division, but not in the way coach Dale White had hoped.
Pegasus has two points from two games after a pair of two-all draws which came against Malvern City in round one and Dandenong City at home at the weekend.
Both matches followed similar storylines which had Pegasus leading 2-1 but conceding late.
White said on both occasions Morwell had clear cut chances to steal the points at the death but could not land the killer blow.
In round one it was Chris Wynne who missed the mark from six yards, and it took an unbelievable save to deny Daniel Kearns’ venomous strike late in Saturday’s match.
“Eight times out of 10 they go in,” White said.
“We are creating a lot of opportunities; they will turn into goals soon but we just haven’t had a bit of luck.
“The encouraging thing for me is that both games we’ve had the opportunity late on to win the game.”
Pegasus conceded a free kick to allow Dandenong to equalise late in the piece, after Jackson Gore and an own goal put the home team ahead.
“I told the boys before the game not to concede silly free kicks because they’ve got a couple of players from the premier league that can hurt us and sure enough the last 10 minutes we conceded a free kick and they certainly hurt us,” White said.
While White admitted his side was lacking a little quality up front, he was confident the team’s fitness and tenacity would hold them in good stead moving forward, predicting they would continue to be dangerous in the dying moments.
“We just need to concentrate on the final ball in the last third; the final delivery and final decision making is the only thing that is letting us down,” he said.
“We’re getting into great areas, we’re endeavouring, we’re strong and we’re fit we’re just lacking that killer punch.”
In a big blow to Pegasus’ defensive unit, new recruit Matthew Turnbull suffered a knee injury which could rule him out for an extended period.
Steve Maselli and captain Robbie Wynne have been the standouts in the first two rounds, while Gore has scored in both matches.
Pegasus will do battle with Diamond Valley away on Saturday.
