First Team:
Sunshine Coast Fire 0 v Palm Beach 5.
A young and almost completely new Fire team took on Macron Cup winners Palm Beach in their first game of the season at Stockland Stadium.
Palm Beach dominated the game early, almost gaining a goal advantage just one minute in as Chris Lucas broke free of the Fire backline only to be stopped by Sam Nickolls in the Fire goal.
Lucas put his team in front in the 5th minute scoreboard after Palm Beach put a ball over the top which Sam Nickolls misjudged, allowing Lucas to slot the ball into the open net.
From there Palm Beach continued to dominate possession and take control of the game. The Fire gave away the ball too easily and Palm Beach’s speed caused problems behind the backline.
Lucas scored again in the 15th minute after combination play between himself and Jonathan Camilleri released Lucas from 35-yards to take a shot from the edge of the box which beat Sam Nickolls to his right-hand side. Lucas sealed his hat-trick in the 38th minute as the Fire lost the ball in the final third and Palm Beach launched a quick counter attack to release Lucas to lift the ball calmly over the advancing Sam Nickolls. The Fire had a few chances, including one just before half-time, however were unable to score.
The young Fire team continued to work hard and refused to give up, however Palm Beach scored again after the restart Palm Beach took a short corner which found Justyn McKay in an inviting position on the edge of the box to slot the ball in.
Palm Beach sealed the game in the 82nd minute as Lucas freed Mitch Robinson and from an acute angle he found the side-netting of Sam Nickoll’s left-hand post.
Coach Kevin said he was proud of his players despite the loss, as they could have easily thrown in the towel but instead kept working hard right to the end of the game.
“We’ve lost a lot of experience in the guys who have left and we have a number of players making their first-grade debut who are still teenagers,” he said.
“They know now that this is men’s football and this is what it’s all about.”
NPL Youth Team:
Sunshine Coast Fire 1 v Palm Beach 3
The Fire team worked hard in their first Stadium Match against Palm Beach Sharks, but the Gold Coast opposition proved too strong, winning 1-3.
The Fire was caught on the counter-attack in the 28th and 35th minutes for Palm Beach to take a two-nil lead. The Fire responded with some clever play which created an opportunity for Josh Sansucie to force a save from the Palm Beach keeper. The save rebounded into the path of Jesse Wilson who tapped in to pull a goal back in the 40th minute. The Fire went into the half-time break trailing 2-1.
The Fire continued to battle after the restart, sticking to the game-plan of possession-based football and playing out from the back. However, in the 72nd minute the Fire ran out of steam and was caught again on the counter attack to concede their third goal. Relentless work from Brady Cronk, Aidan Little and Jared Moore was unfortunately not enough to prevent a 3-1 defeat.
Player of the Match: Jared Moore.
Under 18 Boys:
The Fire had a lacklustre start to the game, conceding to Palm Beach in the 10th minute. The boys fought back to level the game in the 15th minute as Jacob Fulluck capitalised on a goal-mouth scramble to dispatch a shot over the keeper.
The Fire’s work-rate was not at the usual standard and Palm Beach were again able to score on the 30th minute and gain a 2-1 lead.
Pressure from Jesse Wilson in the 40th minute forced a Palm Beach error which Jacob Fulluck latched on to and once again equalize. A lack of concentration and sloppy defending immediately after the Fire’s goal resulted in another Palm Beach goal before half-time.
The Fire returned to the field with an increased work-ethic and Matt Carrick and Jordan Lloyd put in some impressive displays of football. Ryan Cook and Chris Terpcou were substituted for Jesse Wilson and Jacob Fulluck. However, more defensive lapses, combined with a red card to Nik Taylor and losing Rhyan Cook to injury saw the Fire finish the game with 9 men and concede further goals in the 76th and 85th minute to finish the game 5-2 down.
Player of the Match: Matt Carrick and Jordy Lloyd
Under 16 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire 3 v Palm Beach 3
The Fire had a very physical start to the game with a nasty shin injury to Thomas Swane who was forced to leave the field. Palm Beach took the lead early after the winger intercepted in the Fire’s defensive third and crossed to the centre-forward to score under pressure from the Fire defenders.
Both teams started to create chances; keeper Jacob Brown forced to make a good save in the 9th minute, while Timi Adjibola and Adam Edgar both had opportunities in the 14th and 16th minutes respectively.
The Fire managed to equalize in the 19th minute after Timi Adjobola received possession in the midfield and passed to Nick Vieira. He provided a beautifully weighted pass into the penalty box to Cameron Nairn who crossed to Adam Edgar to slot in from close-range. Nairn created another chance in the 23rd minute but was denied by the Palm Beach keeper. Just one minute later, Adjibola was fouled the box and the Fire was awarded a penalty, which Adjibola converted comfortably.
The Fire scored again in the 29th minute as Edgar beat his defender to pass to Van Kampen whose shot was blocked by the keeper to rebound back to Edgar to slot into the open goal. However after taking a 3-1 lead, the Fire relaxed and Palm Beach fought back into the game. After missing just one chance, Palm Beach scored from a distance in the 33rd minute bringing the score to 3-2 into half-time.
The Fire had some clear scoring chances early in the second-half; Edgar had a 1v1 chance and Van Kampen and Irwin both took shots over the crossbar. The game became physical again and Palm Beach began to look for the equalising goal, which came in the 70th minute when a cross was hoisted into the crowded penalty area and headed in by a Palm Beach attacker.
Both sides pushed for a winning goal in the final 10 minutes, but great goal keeping snuffed out any chances, leaving the score 3-3 at full-time.
Player of the Match: Alex van Kampen
Under 15 Girls:
Sunshine Coast Fire 8 v Palm Beach Sharks 0
The Fire Under 15 Girls took control of the game against Palm Beach early, with good passing and combination play.
The Fire girls took the lead in the 14th minute when Alex Cannon received the ball on the right wing and cut back for a composed finish in the right hand corner. Just five minutes later Michelle le Roux took a shot on goal which rebounded for Madi Warren to collect and slot into the net, giving the Fire an early 2-0 lead.
Fire keeper Katie Offer kept Palm Beach off the scoreboard with some excellent saves and in the 28th minute the girls increased their lead to 3-0 after le Roux went 1v1 with the Palm Beach keeper and smashed in a shot off her left foot.
The second-half again belonged to the Fire and in the 40th minute Jess Bender chipped the ball through from the edge of the 18 yard box for Madi Warren to finish. Lisa van Hooijdonk increased the Fire’s lead again just two minutes later after Kirra Guy delivered a long pass to release van Hooijdonk down the wing for a composed finish.
The goals kept coming for the Fire; Kateena Hartwig scored a great left-footed goal and le Roux completed her hat-trick after smashing in a penalty shot and wrapping up the scoring with a composed finish off a Madi Warren pass.
Katie Offer was once again solid in goals during the second half, and the girls worked hard defensively to keep Palm Beach scoreless.
Under 15 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire 1 v Palm Beach Sharks 4
The Fire started well, putting pressure on Palm Beach from the first whistle. The boys were caught in the 15th minute by a long-ball from the Palm Beach midfield, and an unmarked Sharks player was able to head in the resulting corner. This sparked a 10-minute lapse of concentration which saw Palm Beach add two more goals to their tally in the 20th and 24th minute.
The Fire then settled and finished the first-half strongly, creating several promising opportunities.
After the restart the Fire dominated possession, with a goal denied by the post in the first ten minutes. Against the run of play, Palm Beach scored their fourth goal from a long-range effort which deflected and wrong-footed keeper Josh Wall. Two minutes later the Fire’s hard work paid off as Callum Jones scored a half-volley screamer from just outside the box, chipping the keeper. However Palm Beach controlled the closing minutes of the game as the Fire adopted a direct style of football in an attempt to score late.
Player of the Match: Josh Nisbet
Under 13 Girls:
Sunshine Coast Fire 2 v Palm Beach 1
The first half of the game was very even, however of the two teams the Fire created the best chances. The Fire was the first on the scoreboard with a great display of teamwork which started as Jazlyn Salih knocked the ball back to Meisha Westland who played a great switch to Hannah Taylor to slot last the goal keeper.
The Fire’s second goal came after Melissa Taft followed up a rebound, bringing the score to 2-0.
In the second half the Fire had numerous chances to finish the game off, but the girls were unable to find that killer goal. Palm Beach managed to peg a goal back after a player received a cross and struck the ball across Fire keeper Sommer Jordan into the net.
Hard work form the Fire’s back four prevented Palm Beach from gaining the crucial second goal and the girls played out the game with a goal advantage.
Player of the Match: Maddy Lachman, Leiv Bjorkeland
Under 12 Boys:
Report by Coach Peter Higginson
Sunshine Coast Fire 2 v Palm Beach 4
The Fire started slowly in their second game of the season. Palm Beach worked hard and put the boys under pressure from the first minute. The Sharks’ desire and intensity seemed to come as a surprise to the Fire players, who didn’t settle for the first 15 minutes as they found themselves with little time on the ball. This led to three early goals from Palm Beach as the players pounced on loose passes. From there it was going to be an uphill struggle.
The boys started to dig in and match Palm Beach and for the rest of the first-half, probably the stronger team. As the Fire settled, the football got better and the boys put together some good combination moves and started to look dangerous. The Fire were unlucky not to pull two goals back before half-time with two good chances; Josh Croft fired just over from close range and then Jack Beardsley came close with a header after a good cross from the right.
The 3-0 score line at half-time was harsh on balance but with their belief returned, the Fire played good football in the second-half and created chances. But it didn’t fall for the boys and when Palm Beach scored their fourth goal, the game was all but over.
The Fire’s response was excellent as the boys continued to try to break down the Palm Beach defense. Mid-way through the half, Josh Croft drew in his defender just inside the box on the left and slotted an inside ball through to Sam Aitken who scored to give the boys an outside chance. When Sam Aitken grabbed a second goal in the 57th minute – a lovely right foot shot from the edge of the box to the diving keeper’s left, there was a glimmer of hope. But unfortunately it came too late.
“Over the 60 minutes we played well for 75% of the game, but it was the first 15 minutes which hurt us,” Coach Peter Higginson said.
“Starting slowly isn’t an option against good teams. So our first big lesson of the season is that no team in the NPL can be under-estimated; we have to work hard from minute 1 to minute 60.
“The positives from the game are that we dug in when we were down and continued to play football. And in reality we probably had a stronger performance over the game. I am proud of the way the players responded and didn’t give in, which is great to see so early in the season.”
Player of the Match: Brodie Boyce
