Report by Daryn McCleave

Danny Dixon's two-goal blitz in the opening ten minutes sent ECU Joondalup on their way to a deserved 3-1 win against Cockburn City at Dalmatinac Park.

The win lifted the visitors above the hosts in the congested centre of the National Premier Leagues WA table.

Dixon's pace, trickery and clinical finishing outfoxed the Cockerels' defence in the seventh and ninth minutes to leave the home side chasing the game.

Pictured: Match action from Cockburn's loss to ECU. Photo: Daryn McCleave

Hopes of a Cockburn comeback were raised when Liam Murray halved the deficit early in the second half but those hopes were dashed as quickly as they arrived when three minutes later ECU skipper John Higgins fired home from distance.

ECU coach Dale McCulloch, whose side were knocked out of the Cool Ridge Cup in last week’s semi-final, was pleased with the response of his players.

"That's in the past - the future is we can start pushing on up the league now,” he said. “We've jumped up a couple of spots today and we're all pleased with that.

"In the past the young lads' heads might have dropped (after conceding a goal) but to not let them back in and go score the third made it a little bit more comfortable for us, which is pleasing."

Cockburn coach Marc Anthony "gave the boys a roasting at half-time, which they deserved" following a shocking opening 15-20 minutes in which he felt his side "never turned up.”

"We gave away two poor goals (defensively), making it hard for ourselves. We got ourselves back in the game and you think 'here we go' but we then give another goal away a couple of minutes later,” Anthony said.

It was the former Bayswater man Dixon who terrorised the Cockburn right hand side in the opening 45 minutes, his first goal coming in the seventh minute after a mazy run on the left before darting into the box and striking low past Dejan Aleksic.

Around 90 seconds later Aleksic was left exposed again as Dixon latched onto a through-ball, and despite vain appeals for offside from the Cockerels, the left winger rounded the keeper for a simple finish into the empty net.

Dixon was unlucky not to have claimed a hat-trick when a curling effort from outside the area whistled the wrong side of the upright.

City though came out after the break with Anthony's words ringing in their ears and the response he was seeking arrived in the 51st minute with Murray applying the finishing touch from a couple of metres out after the ball was cut back from the by-line.

But Joondalup were not content to defend the game out, instead John Higgins progressed in the final third and fired beyond Aleksic's despairing dive.

Cockburn huffed and puffed to find a way back into the game, with Oscar Thompson guilty of missing a sitter from a corner, which could have turned the tide back in City's favour.

Both sides had chances - and goals ruled out - but the visitors comfortably saw out the second half to take the points.

Cockburn City 1 (Murray 51)
ECU Joondalup 3 (Dixon 7, 9, J. Higgins 54)
Dalmatinac Park
Saturday 7th June 2014
Referee: Steve GREGORY
Crowd: 200 approx.

Cockburn City: 23. (GK) Dejan ALEKSIC, 4. Euan GRANT, 5. Alan CARROLL, 11. Devon GIBSON, 3. Oscar THOMPSON (19. Kim MENG BONG 67'), 9. Eamon McNELIS, 8. David ARAYA, 18. Liam MURRAY, 13. Jesse FULLER (7. Ryan HASLETT 57'), 16. Juran TELES (20. Matt BARLOW 67'), 10. Michael GRIGO.
Substitute not used: 1. Struan HERD
Yellow cards: Alan CARROLL 38'

ECU Joondalup: 1. Andy BANKS, 2. Ryan LOWRY, 3. John HIGGINS, 4. Charlie COMYN-PLATT, 7. Henry DURR, 8. Joe SMITH, 9. Dave FOSTER (6. Jon STYNES 53'), 10. Andy HIGGINS, 11. Danny DIXON, 14. Jake BENSON-COOPER, 19. Stuart MONTGOMERY (16. Ryan McDARBY 70').
Substitute not used: 17. Praviz SHIRZADI, 12. Dejan SPASESKI, 20. Ashley MAYNARD-BREWER
Yellow cards: None