Round 3
Sunshine Coast Fire U19 vs. Gold Coast U19
Sunday April 11, 2010
Kane Frampton – Staff Reporter
The Sunshine Coast Fire have suffered their first loss of the season, going down 2-1 to the Gold Coast in a hard-fought fixture of the U19 Queensland State Youth League.
After accounting for the Logan Strikers and QAS in the opening two rounds, the Fire went into their third round encounter full of confidence.
There was some light rain before kickoff, making the pitch slippery and possession difficult to maintain. The Fire looked the more dangerous of the two teams early, with Kaine Frew drilling a volley high from outside the box in the early minutes.
The Fire looked well-organised and structured, but were having difficulty finding a final ball in the poor conditions. Midway through the first half however, things started to click.
As the Fire built through passes down the middle of the pitch, Frew found Ryan Delahunty, who released captain Josh Taylor in the penalty area. One-on-one with the keeper, Taylor found the right corner with a classy finish to give the Fire an early advantage.
The Sunshine Coast continued to press, as James Verdin released Delahunty, who was called offside.
The Fire continued to tackle hard in midfield, as Luke Lewis broke down a play. At the other end, Luke Chapman tried his luck from distance for the Gold Coast, missing well wide.
As the half wore on, the rain which had been threatening the whole match finally came, waterlogging the pitch and reducing visibility. Chances were difficult to come by in the horrendous conditions.
The Fire’s backline of Joe McMahon, Rhys Roberts, Rob McNicol and Brad Wallace worked hard to stifle the attacking moves of the Gold Coast forwards, who looked dangerous on the ball.
In attack for the Fire, Delahunty rose to meet a cross from Frew, but his header flew over the bar as genuine opportunities continued to elude the Sunshine Coast.
Taylor rode several challenges before the last defender stepped in to clear the ball to safety, as the first half ended.
The rain cleared somewhat during the interval, but the pitch remained soggy after the deluge in the first half.
In an evenly matched contest, the Gold Coast continued to fight for an equaliser, but couldn’t find as much of the ball as the Fire could. McMahon and Delahunty played a neat one-two, but the ball crossed the byline before McMahon could make a pass.
A corner on 55 minutes yielded an equaliser for the Gold Coast, as Stefan Vincencie found himself free at the near post and poked the ball past keeper Jack Tennant.
Fresh legs were brought on for the Fire after the equaliser, with Matthew Bevan and Brad Wallace replaced by Nick Roth and James Cooper.
There was a scramble in the box after 60 minutes, when a corner was not dealt with by the Gold Coast defence. Despite calls that the ball had crossed the line, the score remained 1-1.
Both Dylan Davis and Kaine Frew had good opportunities to score in the following minutes, but the Fire could not regain their lead.
Against the run of play, Rhys Lambert found himself in possession for the Gold Coast and found the back of the net from close range, giving the Gold Coast a 2-1 lead.
On 74 minutes, the Sunshine Coast had a golden opportunity to get back into the contest after a hefty challenge reduced the Gold Coast to 10 men, and earned the Fire a penalty.
Josh Taylor took the spot-kick, and tried to place the ball inside the right post, but Gold Coast keeper Shane Vitalangas did very well to turn the ball round the post for a corner.
The Fire seemed frustrated by the missed opportunities, and tempers flared between the two teams. Despite the numerical advantage and more of the possession, the Fire struggled to find an equalising goal. In the closing minutes, Nick Roth ghosted inside the penalty area but shot wide.
The final whistle blew, signalling a frustrating defeat for the Sunshine Coast Fire in an at times spiteful match. The players will hope to regroup in time for next week’s tough away fixture against the Brisbane Strikers. Kickoff is at 4.45pm at Perry Park on Saturday April 17.
Final Score: Sunshine Coast Fire U19 – 1(Taylor)
Gold Coast U19 – 2 (Vincencie, Lambert)
