Altona have kept their finals hopes alive, recording a 2-1 win over Essendon at Grant Reserve on Saturday.
The A’s got off to a slow start, and looked like they may be as sluggish as they were during their loss to cellar-dwellars Mentone, but were kept in the game by star goal keeper Tom Pinnegar. After about five minutes, the Seagulls clicked into gear, and won a penalty corner through striker John Camelleri, who capitalised on some great ball movement through the midfield. The regular drag flickers, Chris Coleman and Andrew Scanlon, were on the bench at this stage, so midfielder Harry Dolenc stepped up and slotted the ball into the bottom left of the net to take a 1-0 lead.
Altona dominated the second half, but couldn’t convert that domination into scoreboard presence. Their outcomes in the scoring circle were lacking. After Essendon equalised, Altona were staring down the barrel of a wasted season, and finals were on the line. Veteran striker, Tyson Priddle, got on the end of some fantastic build up from Camelleri and captain Steve Campbell, and slotted the winning goal from a cross.
Coach Ben Guy after the game said “While we got the three points, our conversion of circle penetrations was disappointing so we will need to improve against higher ranked opposition”.
Altona remain on track to make their first finals since 2003, but the ladder is quite competitive, so nothing is guaranteed.
Altona 2 defeated Essendon 1
Goals: Harry Dolenc, Tyson Priddle