Dandenong Thunder and St Albans play out Game of the Year contender

An astonishing five goals in the final 15 minutes and three in injury time, Dandenong Thunder and St Albans was an “emotional rollercoaster”.

George Ott in action for St Albans. Picture: Dion Fountas Photography

“Another crazy day in the world of NPL.”

“Honestly even today, I’m still not sure how to explain it.”

That’s how Dandenong Thunder coach David Chick and St Albans counterpart Ryan McGuffie summed up the wild finish to their NPL Victoria clash on Saturday night.

An incredible five goals were scored in the final 15 minutes of the match at George Andrews Reserve as it finished 4-4.

St Albans looked to be cruising to victory with a 3-1 lead in the 83rd minute before all hell broke loose.

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92:17: GOAL! Dandenong Thunder SC scores to make it DNT 4 : ST.A 3

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Scott Lochhead scored a penalty for Dandenong in the 87th minute and Joshua Karantz (91st) and Geoffry Lino (93rd) both found the back of the net within three minutes of injury time to give the Thunder an astonishing lead.

And the night still wasn’t finished as Ott secured his hat-trick with a 97th minute penalty to level the scores and share the points.

Chick said it was a spectacular game for fans, not so for a coach’s stress level.

“It was unbelievable in a way, you couldn’t have had a more entertaining game for the neutral,” he said.

“It was probably a fair result in the end, they were the better team in the first half and we were better in the second half.

“There were a lot of goals so you have to question some of the defending but it was definitely exciting and an emotional rollercoaster.

“(The feeling after) was disappointment in the first half performance, the fact we got ourselves in that position.

“To get back into the game and put ourselves in a position to win was fantastic and then a sloppy bit to finish – a header that should have been won and some smart forward play to get himself a penalty.”

George Ott in action for St Albans. Picture: Dion Fountas Photography

Thunder were also counting the cost in the aftermath with Leo Mazis taken to hospital with a dislocated shoulder and Kieran Dover also substituted with injury.

St Albans had jumped out to a 2-nil lead within the opening 17 minutes as Joseph Monek opening the scoring and Ott slotted his first.

However, Dandenong’s half-time substitutes – Lochhead and Mersim Memeti – and the introduction of Mamadi Kamara in the 53rd minute swung the game in the Thunder’s favour.

Kamara got the home team on the board in the 70th minute.

McGuffie said the match was like nothing he’d seen before.

“I have never been involved in a game like that in my life,” he said.

“Obviously 2-nil up, I thought we were playing really good football and we were playing really well. You could sense our team were playing with a bit of confidence.

“And then second half, I knew Chicky would make a couple of changes and he went a bit more attacking with the two substitutions.

“Before the game, you would probably say a draw to Thunder at George Andrews Reserve is probably not a bad result but obviously when you’re 3-1 up and you’re 2-0 up at half-time and absolutely cruising …

“If you wrote a script saying that would happen, you would say it’s unbelievable,” he said.

“From the 86th minute you concede three goals and then in the 96th you get an equaliser. It’s ridiculous to be honest.

Ott’s hat-trick takes him to four goals in just two games after he also scored in the season-opening draw with Melbourne Knights.

Chick admitted Ott had been a handful all night and deserved his three goals, while McGuffie had plenty of praise for his No.9.

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“He is a young lad, he is still only 21-years-old but he is very level-headed,” McGuffie said.

“He has got a very big future in the game and I think we will be doing well to keep a hold of him.

“To be honest, he has been here all of pre-season and it wasn’t a surprise to me that he is scoring goals.

“He is a big strong lad, he is six foot four, he has got a great touch, deceptively quite quick.”