Dandy Town 3 Flanagan’s Onions 1

Dandy Town moved into the final Dudley Eve Trophy spot last night with two goals from Drewonde Bascome giving them victory over Flanagan’s Onions at Goose Gosling Field.

Town had to work hard for the points after relegation-threatened Onions looked determined to get a win to give themselves some space over Somerset Eagles.

Town, with just one league loss in the second half of the season, broke the deadlock midway through the first half when Bascome drove his effort into the bottom corner after a blocked shot by Damon Ming was not cleared.

However, within two minutes Onions were back level when Treshun Smith scored with a similar finish, finding the far bottom corner of Jaiden Manders’s goal.

Stephen Gould, the Onions goalkeeper, made an important fingertip save from an Angelo Simmons shot after the Town captain’s shot on the turn looked headed for the far post.

The game remained close early in the second half with Simmons threatening more while Smith, with his pace, caused some anxious moments for the Town defence where Dominique Williams was solid down the middle.

Simmons, Town’s top scorer, popped up with an all-important second goal on the hour mark when he tapped home from close range after a cross from the right by Seion Darrell. He then stabbed an effort wide after a neat back-heel by Tomiko Goater on the edge of the box.

Onions made a double substitution, bringing on Shaki Swan and Mohamed Aden for Jonathan Cook and Bron Turner in the 65th minute. Lewis wasted a good chance for them soon after when he lifted a shot over the bar from a good position inside the box.

That miss proved costly as Town wrapped up the points three minutes later with a third goal and second for Bascome. Simmons turned provider with a pass that opened the Onions defence and Bascome had the simple task of side-footing into an open goal.

Kwame Steede, who has engineered the Town revival after taking over from Jomar Wilkinson in January, was pleased with the team’s second-half performance. They even had the luxury of introducing two junior players, Diaje Hart and Doreiko Walker, in the closing minutes.

“I thought in the first half we just didn’t show our worth, we were playing their game and trying to kick the ball long which isn’t our game,” Steede said. “We like the ball on the ground and in the second half when we started rolling the ball the goals came.”

The win puts Town a point ahead of Boulevard in the fight for the final Dudley Eve Trophy place, while the loss leaves Onions, promoted last season with Eagles, just a point ahead of Eagles ahead of their match against leaders Robin Hood tomorrow.

Steede admits a top-six finish would represent a good season for the defending league champions, considering their lowly position at the Christmas break.

“We were at the bottom at the end of the first half and this shows what commitment, desire and belief can do,” he said. “Imagine if we had done this in the first half.

“Our main focus now is to keep getting points, doing ourselves a favour. We’re in sixth and could even see fifth. But sixth, and making Dudley Eve, would be a good achievement.”