First Team:
Sunshine Coast Fire 0 v Brisbane Strikers 1
Brisbane Strikers recorded their fifth straight NPL Queensland win on Sunday, overcoming traditional rivals Sunshine Coast Fire 1-0 at Stockland Stadium.
Strikers twice struck the crossbar in the tightly contested match but ultimately claimed the points courtesy of Keenan Duimpies 22nd minute penalty strike.
Fire started strongly with striker Ryan Delahunty going close to an early opener inside two minutes.
Ten minutes later, Jheison Macauce rounded several Fire defenders with a solid run and forced Fire goalkeeper Sam Nickolls into a save from a tight angle.
Soon after, Matt Thurtell intercepted a pass on the edge of the Fire penalty area but the Strikers forward’s chipped attempt was denied by the crossbar.
The visitors efforts were rewarded on 22 minutes when Thurtell was felled in the area, allowing Duimpies to slot home from the subsquent spot kick.
Fire increased pressure and limited Striker’s chances, however on 36 minutes Scott Coulson took a 25-yard free kick destined for the top corner, only for Nickolls to palm it away.
Chances continued to favour Strikers immediately after the restart as Thurtell missed the target three times in four minutes – including blazing over the bar from six yards.
Fire forged chances mid way through the second half, as Delahunty headed over from corner on the hour and Wade Zammit’s cross just eluded Futa Nakamura six minutes later.
Both sides saw opportunities to alter the score line in the final stages – Greg King striking the crossbar for Strikers while Fire’s James Verdin and Matt Needham spurned chances to level terms in the final minutes.
The result lifts Strikers into third place in the NPL Queensland standings, while Fire remain mired in tenth position.
Sunshine Coast Fire 0
Brisbane Strikers 1 (Keenan DUIMPIES 22’)
Open Women’s Team:
Sunshine Coast Fire 0 v SWQ Thunder 3
A disappointing 3-0 defeat against SWQ Thunder bought to an end a good run of three successive wins for the Fire Open Women’s Team.
The first-half was a close contest with the Fire creating early chances, however SWQ Thunder gained in confidence as the half went on and took a deserved lead in the 25th minute. The Fire could not retain possession and failed to threaten the SWQ’s goal as half-time approached.
A second-half dominated by the visitors meant Fire goal keeper Rennee Rudder was kept very busy. The Fire kept hope of getting back into the game however a second and third goal close to the final whistle gave the scoreline a more realistic look.
Fire coach Dave Bensted said the visitors put in a good performance and deservedly took the three points.
Under 16 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire 2 v Brisbane Strikers 5
Report by Manager Brett de Chastel
Fire Under 16 Boys lost a golden opportunity to take a big step towards the premiership with a poor home performance against their biggest premiership threat. Lying one point behind the Strikers with a game in hand, Fire could have made a strong statement in the competition but instead, defended poorly as a unit and had a reality check about intensive high-tempo football.
Both team started the game with good intensity with Alex Van Kampen hitting his cross into the side netting after 3 minutes. The Fire has a number of half-chances in the first 10 minutes but could not get a clean shot on goal.
In the 15th minute, Fire conceded after the Strikers’ midfield intercepted a hasty pass from the defensive third. The Strikers swept forward and after a one-two near the edge of the penalty box, powered the ball into the back of the net. Only 3 minutes later, the Strikers doubled their lead. After a strong run from the Strikers’ right winger, Fire failed to clear his cross and the winger fired a shot from a narrow angle which found the far corner of the goal.
In the 22nd minute, Fire pulled a goal back. After a good diagonal pass, Cameron Nairn beat his defender on the left wing and passed a good ball to Van Kampen at the far post. Van Kampen stabbed the ball home with his less favoured right foot to give the Fire some hope. The Fire could have drawn level only three minutes later when a goal mouth scramble saw van Kampen, Adam Edgar and Sean de Chastel all have shots blocked with desperate defence from the Strikers.
In the 26th minute, the Strikers restored their two-goal buffer with an own goal to the Fire. A break down the left wing saw a hard, low cross cleared but unfortunately the clearance hit a Fire defender and ricocheted into the Fire goal to give the Strikers a 3 – 1 lead at half-time.
The Fire had a nervous second-half start but settled after a few minutes. In the 45th minute, Sean de Chastel pulled a goal back for the Fire. Following good midfield lead up work, Edgar received the ball near the edge of the penalty box and slipped the ball to de Chastel who took two touched and placed a left-foot shot into the Strikers goal to bring the score to 3–2.
However, the Fire revival only lasted two minutes with another Fire own goal giving the Strikers a 4-2 lead. The game continued to be physical and strongly contested by both teams with the Strikers receiving two yellow cards in quick succession. The Fire were pushing for a catch-up goal and Sean Pateman came close in the 71st minute with a powerful shot that was destined for the top left hand corner but was well saved by the Strikers keeper. In the 74th minute, Thomas Swane hit the crossbar but it was not to be the Fire’s day.
In the 74th minute, the Strikers put the game beyond doubt. Trying to clear the defensive zone, the Fire were caught in possession and following two quick passes, the Strikers centre forward poked the ball into the bottom right hand corner. To take the final score to 5–2.
It was a disappointing performance by the Fire. A lack of defensive cohesiveness was evident with poor defending as a team conceding 5 goals for the first time. The Strikers deserved their win with that team being more hungry and showing desire for the ball. The Fire will need to regroup to challenge for the title.
Under 15 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire 5 v Brisbane Strikers 0
Fire started slowly, struggling to get out of the back third for the first five minutes, however the boys kept composed and continued to look to play out and once soon took control of the game. Fire created numerous chances and was rewarded with a goal on 9 minutes. Ty Dawson collected a clever ball from Kobe Fuller to shoot past the keeper from 18 yards.
Fire maintained structure, defended well and won any 50/50 through patience. Coach Daniel Carew said this helped the boys to create more chances because they were winning the ball closer to the Strikers’ goal.
Fire soon added to the tally after a strong run from Jack Bowen to win a 50/50 and tap the ball in. Bowen then provided a ball for Fuller to blast in from close range and bring the score to 3-0 in Fire’s favour on 15 minutes.
The Fire players then capitalised on a set piece they had worked on in training, as Fuller again smashed home a cheeky dink over the wall.
Frustration set in from the Strikers players and they were lucky not to be a man down when a horrible challenge was made on Jack Bowen left him unable to continue just before half-time.
Fire continued to play with enthusiasm, composure and unity after the re-start. The back four were impressive and set the platform for the attackers to be creative, Tom Anderson was again strong in goal with some great saves, helped with a strong resilient performance from Man of the Match Jake Nalder.
Fire created more chances, with fullbacks Callum Jones and Abe Reeves causing problems, and Dawson and Jez Lofthouse forcing the Strikers’ keeper into some amazing saves. Fire was rewarded when a nicely placed free-kick put all sorts of pressure on the strikers forcing an own goal.
Carew said he was very happy with the whole squad.
“Every player was on their game and played some terrific football,” he said.
“The work rate when defending was particularly pleasing – this is something we have been working on in the last two training sessions and it showed. Josh Nisbet, Oli Blackmore and Reis Hanton worked fantastically in the middle; they were always looking to get on the ball to give our back four an option out and then to link up with the front three to create chances. We were faultless today!”
Man of the Match: Jake Nalder
Under 15 Girls:
Sunshine Coast Fire 1 v Souths Strikers 0
The Fire displayed great team work to secure a tight 1-0 win over South Strikers at Stockland Park.
Fire started strongly with good speed and maintained the majority of possession, and chances fell to Michelle le Roux, Madi Warren and Lisa van Hooijdonk in the first-half but they were unable to score.
The Fire defence worked hard to restrict the Strikers’ chances, in particular centre backs Aqua Meanie and Holly Vidulich who were excellent throughout.
Fire continued to create chances after the re-start, Madi Warren’s had a shot early in the half but narrowly missed. Le Roux sealed the victory for the girls in the 38th minute, dribbling around two defenders in the box and curling a shot into the far post, allowing Fire to take the three points against a much-improved Souths Strikers team.
Player of the Match: Holly Vidulich and Aqua Meanie
Under 14 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire 1 v Brisbane Strikers 1
The Fire Under 14 Boys took on the Brisbane Strikers in a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday at Stockland Stadium. The two teams had drawn 1-1 last time they met at the beginning of the season.
The Strikers created chances from the first whistle, forcing Fire keeper Nathan Foster into some good saves. In the 20th minute he made a great 1v1 save that was destined for the bottom corner.
Fire soon settled and started creating chances of their own, although neither team could convert these chances to goals. Both teams played some good football, heading into half-time with the scoreline at 0-0.
In the 37th minute Mitch Bridge broke the deadlock for Fire. Fire won the ball back in from the Strikers in their half for Jack Eather to run down the line, cut inside and pass the ball to Bridge on the edge of the box to place in the top corner.
In the 45th minute, Aiden Vitale almost extended the Fire’s lead but his two shots on goal were saved off the line.
Chances fell to both teams, but Fire looked set to hold out the game with a 1-0 lead. However, in the 64th minute the Strikers winger was ruled to have been taken down in the box and Strikers were awarded a penalty.
Strikers player Keaton August stepped up to place the ball in the bottom right corner giving Foster no chance. Both teams had chances in the dying minutes of the game, but neither could secure the winning goal. In the 77th minute a Strikers player hit the crossbar and in the 79th minute as Jesse Gibbs beat three defenders, however unfortunately his shot went straight to the keeper.
After a tight, competitive contest the two teams had to settle for another draw.
Man of the Match: Bailey Waern
Under 13 Girls:
Sunshine Coast Fire 3 v Souths Strikers 0
The Fire started off well and raced into the lead after Jazlyn Salih scored in the 4th and 6th minutes. The girls looked great in the first 10 minutes, however the game slowed down after this point and Fire had to look to keep control, especially in the midfield.
The score was 2-0 at half-time.
In the second half Fire had more possession and control of the game. In the 64th minute Fire put the game beyond doubt as Hannah Taylor collected a rebound shot and slotted it into goal to bring the score to 3-0.
Coach Tom White said his team did very well defensively and took chances when they needed too.
Player of the Match: Anya Suffolk
Under 12 Boys:
Report by Coach Peter Higginson
Sunshine Coast Fire 2 v Brisbane Strikers 0
Fire Under 12 Boys took to the field on Sunday looking to avenge their defeat to Strikers earlier in the season. The teams were sitting 2nd vs 3rd in the ladder and both squads expected a challenging game.
Where earlier in the season Fire allowed Strikers to ‘snatch and grab’ the game with 3 quick-fire goals, today was the turn of the Fire defence and midfield to demonstrate how to defend and play with authority and form the base for the team to perform.
The Fire had the better of the first-half with some excellent moves and could have grabbed goals before half-time. The boys had to work hard to create their chances and when Strikers attacked, the Fire defence and goal keeper Ben Potter soaked up the pressure time after time.
With the midfield partnership of Harry Arnison and Jack Beardsley pulling the strings, it seemed a matter of time before the opening goal. Arnison slotted a killer pass through the defence, anticipating the run of Kye Stopka. Kye timed his run nicely from behind the defence before finishing well – only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.
The Fire’s effort was rewarded 17th minute when the midfield pressed and won the ball deep in Strikers territory. Stopka received a nice ball in the box, and took a nice touch before composing himself and finishing below the Strikers’ keeper.
Chances came and went for Fire and Colby Robinson came close to extending the score line a few times. With the half-time whistle drawing close, Fire scored one of the goals of the season. It was a crafted goal showing how to play from the back, keep possession and build to create the opportunity. The move started from the right back area as Joel Tuite won the ball and kicked off the move. From there, the team worked the ball forward with 1-2s and bounce passes as the Fire players exploited the spaces well. When the ball finally worked its way to Jack Beardsley, he collected the final pass before dancing into the box and coolly slotting the ball into the corner on the 29th minute.
The second-half was more even as Strikers bounced back, but Fire remained the dominant force. Strikers did have a good spell and could have pulled a goal back. But Fire’s defence and midfield broke down the attacks. Keeper Ben Potter read the game well and looked assured, at one stage making a fine recovery-save on the edge of the box.
Again the Fire defence backed up their good first-half performance. Sam Fleming worked well at left back; he broke down attacks and provided attacking options with winger Sam Aitken who looked dangerous down the left flank. And Robinson nearly sealed the win as he outpaced the defence, however his shot hit the woodwork.
Arguably, the highlight of the game was one move which Messi and co would have been proud of. Another sweeping move from the back through the midfield saw the Fire boys keeping possession with more one-and-two-touch passes, bounce passes and more triangles than a school maths book. Strikers had no answer and the move ended with Jack Beardsley weighting a perfect ball through to Aitken who had seen the trigger and beat the offside trap with pace, only to be fouled close to the box. The only thing missing from the move was the shouts of ‘Ole’ from the crowd although the move was clearly appreciated by the fans who grew louder and broke into applause.
Coach Peter Higginson said he was very proud of the boys’ efforts and some of the football on display had been excellent.
“To comfortably beat a team like Strikers shows the progress we are making. I am most pleased with the team-work and that the boys are doing what we practice in training. This week we worked on first touch with wing play and running with the ball into the middle third from the back and I saw the boys use the techniques throughout the game.”
Man of the Match: Cody Pyne/Ezekiel Hawkins
