Western Knights 1 Mandurah City FC 1
In Round 7 of the All Flags State League Division 1 Competition, Mandurah City FC faced Western Knights at Nash Field. The first real chance of the game came for Mandurah and it required an acrobatic save by Sam Hutchinson to prevent the first goal of the game. A Western Knights attack ended in the keeper’s hands and the subsequent possession from Mandurah culminated in a shot that rattled the post.
Ben Coulter drove past four defenders from right back before calmly curling the ball into the top corner. This goal marked his return to First team football after being sidelined with a broken arm. The game opened up after the goal with both sides pushing forward. The injection of Steve Purton and Johny Mirco after the half time whistle proved pivotal. After a number of contentious decisions that went against the Western Knights culminating in a penalty given to Mandurah with only 15 minutes remaining. Mandurah were able to compose themselves to equalize and eventually hold onto the lead until the final whistle.
The frustration proved too much for the Knights Head Coach Robbie Dunn as he was ejected from the bench by the referee in the closing stages of the game. The final chance of the game fell to Coulter as he was proving to be the greatest threat for the Knights. He was brought down in the box dramatically but the penalty was not rewarded. Overall the game was rather anticlimactic and it was an extremely unlucky result for Western Knights.
The next Western Knights home game will be against UWA Nedlands at Nash Field, Mosman Park on Saturday 14 June.
Written by Daniel Bodycoat