Hyundai Queensland State League – Round 4
Sunshine Coast Fire vs. Brisbane Strikers
Saturday April 17, 2010
Kane Frampton – Staff Reporter
The Sunshine Coast Fire have dealt with their toughest challenge of the season so far, downing the Brisbane Strikers 3-2 in an excellent contest at Perry Park on Saturday night.
Tyson Holmes, Corey Towle and Jai Cross got on the scoreboard as the Fire fought resolutely to record their fourth win from as many games.
There were problems even before the kickoff for the Fire as coach Aston Bell was forced to make two late changes, due to injuries to Anthony Hall and Alex Henderson. U19 goalkeeper Sam Nickolls came in for Hall, and Greig Henslee moved backwards to partner Markus Kronblad in central defence.
Having conceded only one goal in their opening three fixtures, it was always likely that the Strikers would be difficult to break down.
The Fire attacked resolutely from the opening whistle, and after earning a corner the players pushed up in anticipation of an early goal.
Aaron Brazendale’s corner flew in the direction of Shaun Blackman at the far post, who predictably rose above everyone to nod the ball down to advantage. Tyson Holmes pounced on the rebound and dispatched the loose ball into the bottom corner, giving the Sunshine Coast the lead after just two minutes.
After such a promising start, the Fire maintained most of the possession, although the Strikers still looked dangerous going forward. After being awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area, Chay Hews stepped up for the home side and delivered a low shot on goal, but keeper Nickolls was more than up for the challenge, getting down well to make the save.
As expected, the middle of the park turned into a battlefield as heavy challenges came from everywhere, with both teams eager to claim bragging rights in their first meeting of the season.
As the Fire continued to defend desperately, smooth ball movement through the central midfield pairing of Tyson Holmes and Yuta Gonai was giving the visitors the upper hand. Jai Cross was unlucky not to score when released one-on-one in the penalty area by Holmes, but his shot missed just wide.
On 27 minutes, the Fire doubled their lead.
Following a free-kick, Corey Towle found himself in space on the left flank outside the penalty area, and hit an unstoppable volley into the top corner, much to the delight of the travelling Sunshine Coast fans.
With a two-goal advantage, the Fire looked keen to bury the contest early, although this left them occasionally exposed to counter-attacks.
The Strikers continued to manufacture opportunities as the half wore on, with Sean Burke heading narrowly wide following a cross. Minutes later, Matt Thurtell hit the crossbar from a free-kick just outside the area.
As the half neared its end, the Fire looked likely to go to the break with a two-goal advantage. However, the Strikers had other ideas. In the space of five minutes, they scored two goals from open play. On 41 minutes, Michael Angus bundled the ball into the goal from close range following a corner. Minutes later, the scores were level after the Fire failed to deal with a cross and Sean Burke was on hand to find the back of the net.
After the interval, the Fire came out hungry to reinstate the lead which they had so quickly lost. They didn’t have to wait long, as Holmes released Cross one-on-one. Cross opted for a low powerful shot, which Striker keeper Brendan White got to but couldn’t keep out.
As both Greig Henslee and Markus Kronblad stuck close to their opponents in central defence, James Stinson and Jonathan Rose looked composed on the flanks, finding passes that would turn defence into attack, rather than simply hacking the ball towards the boundaries.
After 62 minutes, a good chance went begging when Blackman headed a Brazendale cross wide of goal when under great pressure. Blackman’s aerial presence was utilised well throughout the match for the Fire, as he was able to use his size and leap to head the ball down to advantage.
Still pressing for a fourth goal, Cross and Holmes again combined but their slick passing move was broken down by the last defender.
On 65 minutes, the Strikers manufactured their best chance to level the scores, when Matt Thurtell found himself one-on-one with keeper Nickolls. Nickolls attacked the ball well and did just enough to pressure Thurtell into missing the target, as his shot grazed the right post.
Shaun Blackman found the back of the net for the Fire on 68 minutes, but was called offside.
As the match entered its final minutes, the tension was palpable among Sunshine Coast supporters. The Strikers fans attempted to gee their players up for a final assault, but the Fire defenders stuck to their guns and kept working hard.
The hardworking Matt Thurtell found himself free in the box with the ball at his feet, but was robbed of possession by a Greig Henslee slide-tackle before he could get a shot away.
As injury time drew ever closer, the Strikers were trying anything possible to salvage a point from the match. When Nickolls and Thurtell collided chasing a loose ball in the penalty area in the 91st minute, the Striker’s fans call for a penalty fell on deaf ears.
The final whistle blew with the final score 3-2 in favour of an inspired Sunshine Coast Fire outfit, who worked hard to record their fourth win on the trot.
Coach Aston Bell was delighted with the endeavour of his players.
“It came down to the desire of the team, and they were magnificent tonight,” Bell said.
The victory marks the third win for the Fire from four starts at Perry Park against the Strikers, which Bell attributes to his players rising to the occasion.
“I think it’s just the Strikers factor. The team has a desire to play well here, and we could feel it coming down on the bus that it wasn’t going to be any different tonight, and we prevailed at the end. We’ll put it in perspective during the week, and bring the boys back down to earth. But it’s been a job really well done to come here, against a quality side that didn’t stop coming at us. It’s a credit to my lads.”
Bell praised the efforts of U19 goalkeeper Sam Nickolls, who came in for Anthony Hall at short notice.
“He was fantastic. I wanted him to go out and enjoy the experience, and I’ve got faith in every player we have here at the club. He stood tall.”
The only blot on an otherwise outstanding performance by the Fire was conceding two goals in quick succession, similar to what happened last week against the Capricorn Cougars.
“I was disappointed, but we’ll go back to the training paddock and work on those things again. We held out strong in the second half,” Bell said.
Next week’s match is against the Whitsunday Miners, on Sunday April 25. Kickoff is at 1.30pm at Stockland Park’s Western fields.
Final Score: Brisbane Strikers – 2 (Angus, 41, Burke, 45)
Sunshine Coast FC – 3 (Holmes, 2, Towle, 27, Cross, 46)
