DALTON DYNAMOES Under 11s got this season’s Minor Cup semi-finals under way with a morale-boosting victory over Hepworth United on a perfect day for football at Leeds Road Playing Fields.
Playing in the Third Division of the RCD League, Dalton were underdogs before the game against First Division Hepworth, but the Dynamoes lived up to their name and Hepworth struggled to cope with their pace and power.
A Jovanni Landu strike after just five minutes set the tone of the game and when Liam Haigh doubled Dalton’s tally after 10 minutes, Hepworth knew they were facing an uphill battle.
Shaun Burrows and Jack Cooper began to give the Hepworth supporters some hope and Ed Clowes found space on the left to send in a series of crosses. Only a couple of fine stops from Alfie Rushworth in the Dalton goal denied shots from Burrows and Jordan Castle.
Hepworth continued their improvement as the second half got under way but their task was made even worse when Landu hit a third for Dalton.
The three-goal advantage was shortlived, however, as Tom Webster finally found space among the tight Dynamoes defence to pull one back for Hepworth.
United continued to pile on the pressure but Max Armstrong, Ellis Houghton and Jarlath Mohan stood firm in the Dynamoes rearguard and any hopes of a Hepworth recovery were finally ended when Callum Carmody struck a fourth for Dalton in the closing minutes.
This was a big performance from Dalton, but they will need an even bigger one in the final where they take on unbeaten title chasing YMCA, who booked their place with a 4-2 win over Westend.
