Recap
Match three of Round 8 saw a exciting match up as Ashburton faced off against Fitzroy. The last time these two sides played it was an intense affair with the teams sharing the points in a thrilling 1-1 draw. This time round looked to be a different story from the start, as Ashburton were missing important players Ahmed Hassani and Hamed Khademi. Fitzroy on the other hand had made two big additions in the shape of returning star players Alistair Dunlop and Cosimo Russo. Fitzroy have been without the two players for the whole season so far and their inclusion into the team was bound to have an instant positive impact. It was Fitzroy’s Scott Rogan who got his side on the board first when he finished from just inside the area. Ashburton’s captain Iraj Hani then equalised when he was found at the back post to finish. Fitzroy target Alessandro Verratti was then found at the back post to restore the lead, before Rogan picked up his second with a tap in from close range. A grounded Omid Azami then watched helpless as Dunlop went round him and tapped home to have Fitzroy leading 4-1 at half time.
Ashburton started the second period brightly and soon pegged one back through Hossain Haidari, who was on hand to slam the rebound home after Mehran Shafiei’s shot was saved by Aaron Yu in goals. Dunlop then showed some f his quality that Fitzroy has been sorely missing, as he dribbled past his defender before whipping his shot into the top left corner. Some excellent passing and movement from the Roys then saw Scott Rogan, left with a tap in, before finally Dunlop would fizz a ball to the back post where Russo was sliding in to score Fitzroy’s seventh. A much needed win for Fitzroy which keeps them in contention with the teams ahead of them, while Ashburton will hope this is just a blip in their great start to the season.
Man of the Match: Alistair Dunlop (Fitzroy FC)