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Emley AFC 2
2
Berchil (6'), Pashley (35')
0 Dunston
0

REPORT | Emley 2 Dunston UTS 0

Dunston made the 224 mile round trip down to Emley to open up their 2024/25 Isuzu FA Trophy campaign.

The hosts came into Friday on the back of a narrow defeat to Dunston’s good friends Morpeth Town, seeing their FA Cup journey come to an early end.

Both sides have an identical record in the league, with three wins & one draw in their opening four. 

Jon McDonald’s men came into the game seeking a fifth win on the spin, after a 5-1 battering of Northern League side Birtley Town in the FA Cup.

A crowd of 410 watched on as Emley got the tie under way, and straight away the hosts came firing out the blocks. The Pewits dominated the ball as Dunston tried to find their rhythm, leading to the opening goal.

Dunston’s offside trap was broken as Alhassane Keita latched onto a ball on the right, before squaring it to a wide open Amir Berchill on the penalty spot who easily tapped it past Dan Lowson

Richard Tracey’s side continued to dominate after breaking the deadlock early, breaking in behind multiple times, with Berchill fizzing a number of balls across the box without finding a teammate.

Dunston struggled to get a grip of the game, barely mustering a shot for the entire first half. The closest came when Scott Robson had a shot deflected straight into the palms of Emley goalkeeper Declan Lambton.

The aforementioned Lambton denied a decent chance for Dunston, cutting out a pass that would’ve seen Djalo have a tap in at the back post.

A free-kick was given to the home side on the thirty-six minute mark, for a seemingly weak nudge that sent Berchill down like a lead balloon. The decision didn’t excuse some poor defending from Dunston however, as the free-kick was met by a wide open Sam Pashley in the six yard box, nodding it past Lowson.

It could’ve been 3-0 just a minute later, as a dubious offside call denied Nathan Curtis a chance to go one-on-one with Lowson. 

The remainder of the half fizzled out, with the most notable moment being a scuffle between Sado Djalo & Emley’s star man Donae Lawrence.

Lawrence completely dominated the midfield for 90 minutes, making it incredibly difficult for Dunston’s midfield of Michael Pearson, JJ Chrisp & David Robinson to do much with the ball. 

After a disappointing first forty-five from Jon McDonald’s side, they showed signs of improvement straight from the off after the second half whistle was blown.

Chances started flowing as JJ Chrisp bent an effort narrowly wide of the bottom corner, before a ball was nodded down for Richard Coulson who failed to hit the target.

Dunston’s wide array of specialised corner techniques almost paid off, as David Robinson fired a first time effort over the bar, after a very well worked set piece.

Another big chance came for the visiting side, as Phil Turnbull played a sublime, perfectly hit pass in behind the Emley back line, but the target of the pass, Scott Robson, couldn’t connect cleanly enough to beat Lambton in goal.

The final fifteen minutes of the game consisted of some interesting decisions from the referee and his linesmen, for both sides. The Pewits were allowed to see the game out & with a suprisingly small amount of added time, the home side stood tall & advanced into the second qualifying round of the Isuzu FA Trophy.

Next for Dunston is a visit from National League North side Scarborough Athletic, as the dreams of a long FA Cup run continues to be a possibility.


Written by Adam Richardson

Photography by Beauty Time Photography

Published Friday 6th September 2024 (last updated Saturday 7th September 2024)