Hyundai Queensland State League – Round Thirteen
Sunshine Coast Fire v NQ McDonalds Razorbacks
Sunday, June 20, 2010
We are now past the halfway stage of the regular HQSL season, and the Sunshine Coast Fire are drawing closer to the Premiership with every week and every win.
With 36 points from 12 rounds, it is the Sunshine Coast first and daylight second, as the chasing pack continues to drop points. The Brisbane Strikers and North Queensland Razorbacks are looking the most likely to mount a late-season challenge, currently sitting on 23 and 20 points respectively.
It is the latter of these teams that the Sunshine Coast face this week, as the Hyundai Queensland State League returns to Stockland Park for the first time since Round 3.
Coming off a 3-2 victory over a resilient Whitsunday Miners team last week, the Fire will be hoping to secure the three points this week without resorting to an injury-time winner.
Although the Fire’s defensive line has remained much the same in recent weeks, Aston Bell has tinkered with the attacking lineup recently, starting Aaron Brazendale up front alongside Shaun Blackman last week against the Miners.
The final scoreline did not reflect the Fire’s territorial dominance, and the team will be hoping to make better use of their chances this week against the third-placed Razorbacks.
The Razorbacks scored a 1-0 victory over QAS last week to arrest a mid-season slump in form, which saw them record only one point from their previous three matches.
The victory came at a cost though as prolific goalscorer David Mayes went down with a knee injury, all but ruling him out of this weekend’s clash with the Fire. Fellow forward Brett Hay is also a question mark after suffering an Achilles tendon injury in Round 11.
When the Fire last met the Razorbacks in Round 6, the Sunshine Coast came from behind for a 2-1 victory in Townsville, with Shaun Blackman picking up a first-half brace to get the Fire across the line.
Since Round 9, the Sunshine Coast’s four consecutive victories have come by a single goal. In two of these victories, the winning goal has come in the dying minutes, which is testament to the side’s determination to claim three points from each fixture and keep their winning streak going.
And this week the Fire will have more space to play their attacking football, as the team return to the bigger Stockland Park ground in Kawana. Aston Bell admitted his charges are looking forward to having more room to work with.
Kick-off for the important Round 13 clash is at 1.30pm, on Sunday June 20 at Stockland Park, on Nicklin Way, Kawana.
