Hyundai Queensland State Youth League – Round Nine
Sunshine Coast Fire U19 v Queensland Academy of Sport U19
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Kane Frampton – Staff Reporter
The Sunshine Coast Fire have overcome an early scare to cruise to a 4-1 victory over QAS in Round 9 of the Queensland State Youth League.
Down 1-0 at half-time, a much improved second stanza by the Fire got them over the line after goals from Josh Taylor, Kaine Frew and Cohen Bell with a double.
After absorbing early pressure from QAS in the opening minutes, the Fire carved out some good attacks on goal. Nick Roth went close after unleashing from distance, the shot missing just high.
On eight minutes, a back-pass gone wrong from Markus Kronblad gifted QAS the early lead, and the Fire were forced to increase their efforts in an attempt to square the ledger.
The Sunshine Coast’s industrious efforts in midfield were earning the team the majority of possession, but too many plays were breaking down. QAS almost snagged a second goal against the run of play when a mistimed free-kick bounced toward goal, but keeper Sam Nickolls was alive to the danger.
Minutes later the Fire created their best opportunity, when a quality pass from Josh Taylor split the QAS defence. Cohen Bell raced the ball to the byline, and hit a nice cross to James Verdin whose header was saved well.
Bell was involved in the next attack for the Fire, outpacing QAS defender Tremayne Sadler and shooting with his first touch, but his shot went high.
A one-on-one for QAS’s Sam Cronin almost yielded a second goal, but Nickolls spread himself well and made an important save to keep the deficit to one goal after 35 minutes.
QAS had another big chance in the dying seconds of the first half, when Josh Riis found himself facing an open goal. Last-gasp defending from James Cooper helped the Fire clear their lines and head to the break only a goal down.
After failing to capitalise on their possession in the first-half, the Fire came out after the break looking to level the scores as soon as possible. James Verdin flashed a low shot across the face of goal on the left flank in the early minutes. Josh Taylor then did his best to lift with a solo run, but was cut down by the last defender.
The windy conditions made passing along the ground more effective than in the air, and the Fire did their best to remain patient and build plays steadily.
On 67 minutes, substitute Luke Lewis collected a neat pass inside the penalty area before being muscled off the ball. The whistle blew for a penalty to give the Sunshine Coast a golden opportunity to level the scores. Captain Josh Taylor put the ball on the spot and blasted it into the top corner, making the score 1-1 and changing the complexion of the game.
Taylor’s goal proved to be the spark that the Fire needed, and a second goal looked likely. A Brad Wallace cross on the right flank found Kaine Frew at the far post, but his shot missed just wide.
Wallace chipped a free-kick into a crowded penalty area on 72 minutes, and the ball was nodded down to the advantage of Cohen Bell. Steadying himself, Bell smashed a half-volley home from six yards out to give the Fire a 2-1 lead.
As QAS struggled to mount a serious attack on the Sunshine Coast goal, the Fire kept pressing. A throw-in was aimed towards Frew in the penalty area. Frew held his marker off and let the ball bounce before pouncing and dispatching a shot into the bottom corner.
The floodgates were now well and truly open, and Cohen Bell picked up a brace in the dying minutes after a clean breakaway from midfield. One-on-one in acres of space, Bell let the keeper commit before sliding the ball past him for a 4-1 lead.
Brad Wallace had a similar one-on-one opportunity in injury time, but QAS’s keeper prevented further damage by spreading well and making a quality save. The final whistle sounded for an emphatic result in the end, but one that required discipline and perseverance to achieve.
Coach Andy Watson was always confident his team could recover after conceding early.
“I said to the boys at half time that they needed to challenge themselves, to work for each other. The boys have got great commitment – I didn’t care that the score was 1-0, I knew we had the quality to win it, because in the last few weeks we’ve steamrolled home late in the game. We got back to basics in the second half, we kept our shape and the balance came back,” Watson said.
Watson was impressed with Josh Taylor’s performance as he pulled the strings in midfield.
“He goes about his business very quietly, very confidently, and in the last few weeks he’s been outstanding in himself and in giving the team direction.”
Next week the boys will be looking for revenge against the Gold Coast, who claimed a 2-1 victory against the Fire in Round 3 this year. Kickoff is at 1pm on Sunday May 30 at Carrara Stadium.
Final Score: Sunshine Coast Fire U19 – 4(Taylor (pen) 67, Bell, 72, 89, Frew, 83)
Queensland Academy of Sport U19 – 1
