Written by Andrew Madaras
Photos by Liam Smith
Blues fans were in seventh heaven at 4.55 pm on Saturday afternoon when referee Simon Dutton blew the final whistle as Joe Deeney’s men notched up their seventh consecutive win and moved up to third place in the SSML Premier Division.
The 2-1 victory over near neighbours, Leighton Town had been a well contested and hard-fought match with both teams expected to be challenging for honours come the end of the season.
The credit due to Deeney & Kyle Durcan is immeasurable. 603 spectators watched Saturday’s game. Old fans and new came out in their numbers to be the 12th Man and saw the Blues get the all important 3 points.
12 months ago, this weekend, Deeney & Durcan had taken charge for the first time and witnessed Harefield race to a 3 goal lead by half-time before running out comfortable 4-0 winners.
The management duo acted swiftly and decisively. On Saturday, only Dylan Baker remained as a player who featured in the Harefield match. The transformation that has taken place has been quite remarkable. Self-belief and confidence course through the veins. Deeney’s winning mentality best exemplified during his fascinating conversation with Andy Burrows on the second episode of the Talk of The Town podcast. “Coming second is failure” Deeney said and spoke of his desire to get the Club promoted. And his winning mentality is there in the players. It's in their DNA. Only players with the right mentality play for Deeney. Only players who share the hunger, the passion, the desire and the commitment get to put on the blue shirt.
And it showed on Saturday. They needed to dig deep to secure the points against a very good opposition, full of energy, invention and endeavour themselves.
Former Leighton players, Connor Coulson, Luke Dunstan and Alfie Osborne all had excellent games, but it would be wrong to ignore their teammates who stepped up to the mark and all did their jobs superbly. A real team effort.
Dunstable were on the front foot from the off. Leighton clearing their lines very early on with Ethan Creary powering a header just over with only three minutes on the clock.
Leighton withstood the early pressure and began to exert their own pressure. Connor Coulson producing an excellent save on the quarter hour.
However, the Blues went in front on 19 minutes when Tolu Ikuyinminu was upended as he carved his way into the box. Up stepped Kyle Faulkner who was probably the calmest person in the ground to slot the penalty home.
Leighton responded well and again Coulson needed to react quickly, saving one attempt with his feet.
At the other end, a Joe Sellers-West effort from the angle beat the outstretched arms of Xavi Comas but agonizingly was inches wide of the far post. A two-goal cushion to take into the half-time break would have been nice as although Leighton were perhaps down, they were certainly not out.
An evenly contested start to the second half sprang into life when the visitors hit the bar and then five minutes later gained parity with an audacious goal from the League’s top goalscorer, Leon Lobjoit. In real time it looked like a deflection but watching the goal back it’s clear to see that Lobjoit’s intent was clear and this was no fluke. Haaland-esque in it's execution and powerful enough to beat Connor Coulson diving at full stretch.
The response from Dunstable was to brush themselves down, puff their chests out, go back upfield and carve open the Leighton defence and thanks to the steady eye and composure of Tolu Ikuyinminu, who placed the ball out of the reach of Comas, to restore the precious lead.
The Blues did exactly what they had done when London Colney scored three weeks earlier and again it was Kyle Faulkner who supplied the killer ball. It was Faulkner’s ball to Kyle Davison-Gordon which caught out London Colney & it was Faulkner’s through ball on Saturday which set Tolu up.
There was still 25 minutes plus stoppages to play. Leighton pressed hard but couldn’t restore parity despite a couple of chances notably for McClelland and Goodman.
Dunstable managed the game superbly, kept their shape, and kept their discipline. Forays forward though limited didn’t leave gaps at the back and with the deference and midfield operating in synch Leighton couldn’t find another equalizer.
This was Dunstable’s day and the crowd celebrated jubilantly with the players in the bar long after the final whistle had blown.
It’s been a tough few years being a Dunstable Town supporter. The problems of the past have been well documented on numerous occasions. Supporters have been starved of success and are allowed to drink in the taste of victory. It's not arrogance or showmanship.
It's not cocky big headedness. Remember Joe’s words, “there will be bumps on the road and success isn’t a straight line” so we take each match as they come, and we will celebrate success together and commiserate defeat together. The unity that the management team have created between themselves, the players and supporters is real, it's tangible and something we’re not used to, but I get the feeling that it’s something we’re going to enjoy getting used to as the season progresses.
Seven consecutive wins and a crowd of 603 had Club historians scouring the record books to see when such a feat was last achieved. I do believe the records are still being searched.
Leighton travelled well but even so, the majority of the crowd were home supporters. The away support this season has been phenomenal, with Blues support in the 50's and 60's at all three away games so far. Another good turnout is expected for the away match at Leverstock Green on Saturday. Before that though, there is another away match at Ardley Utd on Tuesday.
Norwich CBS are the next visitors to Creasey Park on Saturday, October 22nd in the First Round of the Isuzu FA Vase. Kick off will be 3 pm. Normal admission prices apply.