Star ounce again found themselves on the road travelling to Nottinghamshire to face Dunkirk in this Midland Football Alliance clash. The hosts started stronger with Star not being able to get to grips with the heavy pitch and being penned back into their own half. The fírst real chance came on 7 minutes when Star defender Matt Hunt cleared a Tom Maddison corner to the edge of the Star area, the ball landed at the feet of Kevin Springs whose fierce shot was cleared off the Star goal line by Allando Davis, a real let off for Star. Three minutes later, Maddison, this time played a freekick into the Star box allowing Stuart Robinson to flick the ball across the Star six yard box with Kieran Wells sliding in and failing to connect with the ball at the far post. This should have served as a wake-up call to Star, but they couldn’t seem to get going at all with their usual trademark fast paced, attacking flowing football.
On 21 minutes the host’s dominance was rewarded, Kieran Wells ran into the Star box to powerfully head a Maddison corner into the top left hand corner of the net to give the host a deserved lead. The remainder of the half saw both teams trying to create chances, but lacking a real cutting edge.
The half time break seemed to galvanise Star as they started the second half strong moving the ball and the opposition around well. On 52 minutes a vicious 20 yard shot from Tony Green dipped just over the Dunkirk crossbar. Star keeper Karl Hunter was called into action on 66 minutes palming away a Kevin Springs pile driver for a corner. Maddison floated the resulting corner onto the edge of the six yard box allowing Wells to rise and head the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the net for his second of the match, a goal against the run of play; credit to Star they kept going and didn’t allow their heads to drop. Three minutes later James Mountain dived at full stretch to tip a Aaron Garvey 25 yard screamer round the post for a Star corner. The Dunkirk defence failed to deal with a Tony Green in swinging corner allowing Daniel Holgate to volley the ball low and hard into the bottom left of the net; that was the big striker’s second goal in as many games for Star. The last 20 minutes saw Star pressing for the equaliser, but Dunkirk held firm and held on for the three points. All in all a very disappointing result for Star who made far too many defensive errors, and just couldn’t get to grips wíth Dunkirk’s set piece play.
Star drop one place to 17th in the league with 17 points from 15 games. Star host Gornal Athletic at Dales Lane this Wednesday 12th December, in a Midland Football Alliance clash K.O 7:45 pm
Continental…Hunter, Wright (Gough 64), Davis, O’Garro, Hunt, Green, Hazell, Tomlinson(c) Holgate (Hamilton 81), Garvey, Reid. Subs not used: Paul, Hoyte, Gethin (gk)
Report by: Adam Duffy Continental Star FC 8/12/12