By Marcus Uhe
A second-half strike from Dandenong Thunder midfielder Birkan Kirdar has secured Thunder bragging rights once again in the National Premier League (NPL) Victoria Dandenong Derby in a hotly-contested clash with local rivals Dandenong City on Saturday night.
Kirdar scored in the first Derby this season back in March and made it two goals from two matches to ensure Thunder prevailed 1-0.
Thunder won the ball back from City in the middle of the pitch in the 62nd minute, inviting Kirdar to work his magic.
His injection of speed had the City defence scrambling, beating two defenders and laying a pass off for his captain, Ali Sulemani on the edge of the penalty on the right-hand side.
The captain held up play and passed back to Jay Romanovski, who found Wade Dekker with his back to goal in the six-yard box.
With City captain Jack Webster on his back, Dekker laid the ball off for an unmarked Kirdar, who slammed the strike into the top right corner from close range.
City was unable to find an equaliser in the second half, meaning the Jim Memeti Cup remains in red and black for another year.
The win takes Thunder’s undefeated streak in the Cup to 12 matches, with Thunder having won eight of those encounters to maintain big brother status over its local rival.
The tense atmosphere at George Andrews Reserve was matched on the pitch in the opening half with neither side able to break the goalless scoreline in the opening 45 minutes.
Jacob Alexander was busy on the left for City in his first start since injury in the previous Derby and a vibrant Dekker gave Thunder a huge scoring threat at their end of the pitch.
He fired a volley from close range after a defensive error from City at the back, but a crucial right hand from Hall ensured his goal remained untouched.
It was Thunder that appeared the far better side in the first half, doing the majority of the attacking while defending brilliantly, snuffing out countless runs and approaches on Pierce Clark’s goal.
City’s best chances came in stoppage time, when Kenny Athiu let Thunder off the hook with a pair of golden opportunities.
Tim Atherinos’ cross on the left found Athiu at the back post on the opposite side, and his first-time volley from close proximity was kept out by Clark at the near post.
The resulting corner found Athiu climbing above the congestion, but his header hit the upright halfway up the post.
The energy from City’s late attacking flurry carried into the second half, playing with a hastened energy and intent.
Atherinos attempted to add to his 2024 highlight reel with a powerful volley but sent it fizzing over the crossbar in the 52nd minute as City pressed for the opener.
Soon after it was Kirdar’s moment, scoring his first goal since round seven and his fifth of the season to put one red and black ribbon on the Cup.
Both sides played with a renewed vigor once the goal was scored, and Thunder showed no signs of parking the bus, as Adam Piddick replaced midfielder Daniel Dixon with striker Josh Karantz after 68 minutes in the hunt for more goals.
Neither side could formulate major chances, but the contest quickly came to resemble a tennis match as the ball bounced from one penalty box to the other with speed.
Thunder appeared content to close down space and kill the contest in the final 10 minutes, but City would not go down without a fight.
Chances to Athiu and Alexander in the last 10 minutes of action went unfulfilled, and frustrations began to boil to the surface as a result.
Webster received a yellow card for arguing with the referee after City was stripped of possession for failing to take a throw-in from the correct location on multiple occasions, and a two-handed push from Seb Hernando on Romanovski charging towards goal was fortunate to only be deemed worthy of a yellow card in stoppage time.
1-0 was how the game finished, allowing Thunder to celebrate its triumph with its supporters, linking arm in arm and belting out the team song in front of the members area.
City of Greater Dandenong Mayor, Lana Formoso presented Sulemani with the Memeti Cup after the game as winning captain.
It’s two wins in its last two matches for Thunder against major rivals, now 10 points clear of the drop zone after six points in the last fortnight.
City, meanwhile, has fallen to eighth place on the back of two poor losses in its most recent contests.
It is tied with Melbourne Knights on points, but is 10 goals adrift on goal difference, and five points abc from Port Melbourne in the coveted sixth place.
City hosts Moreland City on Friday night in a chance to get its campaign back on track, and Thunder hosts Green Gully on Saturday night in round 20.
