Under 13 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire defeated Palm Beach 1-0
Goal scorer: Brayden Huston (penalty)
Coach Alex Barlow said the Fire looked to start the game with high intensity, after a sloppy start last week. The Fire pressed high up the field in an attempt to stop Palm Beach from settling and playing out.
After 20 minutes Taj Suffolk had a goal opportunity as he cut in from the right, only for the shot to deflect into the keeper’s hands. The score remained locked at 0-0 into half-time as the Fire failed to take the lead.
Both teams exchanged chances after the restart; however the Fire maintained pressure to gain some control over the game. The continued pressure led to the Fire receiving a penalty for a hand-ball. Brayden Huston stepped up to take the shot and slotted it into the left-hand side of the net, leaving the keeper with no chance of a save.
The Fire worked to restrict Palm Beach’s chances through the rest of the game and almost doubled the lead late on as Terrone Wattagedara was denied first by the Palm Beach keeper and then by the upright.
Barlow said he was impressed with the Fire’s effort in maintaining a high work-rate after the early start and long bus trip.
“They worked hard from start to finish and gained their reward,” he said.
“It was also good to have David Payne back in goal, who marked his return with a clean sheet.”
Under 14 Boys:
Sunshine Coast Fire lost to Palm Beach 2-1.
Goal scorer: Josh Nisbet
Coach Ben Cahn said the Fire’s game against Palm Beach started at a fast tempo. A strong wind combined with a dry playing surface made it hard for players on either side to get the ball under control; however the Fire gradually managed to gain a hold on the game, often breaking in to the middle third but struggling to provide that creative spark in the final third.
Palm Beach was organised and it was going to take something special for the Fire to provide the break-through. Unfortunately that moment didn’t come and soon a 20-yard drive from the Palm Beach number 10 flew over Marcus Worthington’s head to put the Fire a goal behind against the run of play.
The fire came out brilliantly after half-time, controlling the tempo and possession of the game. However the team still lacked a killer pass.
Again they were punished by another wonder-strike. A volley from the corner of box flew in to the top corner.
The Fire players continued to work hard and try to play football allowing Captain Josh Nisbet to sneak in a late goal with seven minutes to go. After the ball ricocheted around the box, Nisbet showed great composure to finish across goal.
Despite late pressure and strong runs from Jack Bowen the Fire couldn’t find the elusive equalizer and found themselves 2-1 down at full-time.
Despite the scoreline, Cahn said he was pleased with how the Fire played.
“We looked closely at how Palm Beach would try to stop us getting out from the back and worked hard through the week on how to counter it.”
“We actually got out nearly every time which was pleasing. It was ironic that we actually broke down and lacked creativity in the final third which was an area of strength in recent weeks. I was disappointed with Palm Beach’s two goals, they were great strikes but we need to apply pressure more quickly to opponents in good positions on the edge of our box.”
Under 15 Boys:
Sunshine Coast FC drew with Brisbane Strikers 1-1.
Assistant coach John Whiting said the Fire played an exciting game with lots of chances against traditional rivals the Brisbane Strikers.
The Fire was the first on the scoreboard in the 14th minute as Cameron Nairn received a ball down the left channel from Tom Swane and placed a shot in near the far-left post with his left foot.
The Fire played out the half without allowing Strikers to equalise, and Coach Dan Carew spoke about the importance of controlling the game during the second-half.
Unfortunately Strikers fought back and sent a through-ball to one of the front men who finished well with the aid of a deflection off Tyler Morse.
The game continued with intensity as both teams created chances, however neither side could convert the opportunities to a goal and the game ended 1-1.
The Fire Under 15 Boys will play their last home game this weekend against Brisbane South Development.
