Hyundai Queensland State League – Round Six Preview
Sunshine Coast Fire v Gold Coast Stars
With the Sunshine Coast Fire’s winning streak snapped at four games last weekend, the side will be looking for a return to winning ways against the Gold Coast Stars on Sunday afternoon.
Round 5 saw the Fire held to a 1-1 draw in an away trip to face the FNQ Bulls. At Borzi Park in Mareeba, the Fire were beaten out of the blocks by a hungry Bulls side desperate to get their first win on the board. With the home side controlling early possession, the Fire struggled to find their feet and were unable to create early chances.
Despite the Bulls being well on top of the contest at half-time, the match remained scoreless. On 61 minutes it was David Ruiz who opened the scoring for FNQ, finishing well from distance to give the home side a sniff of a first victory for 2011.
As the Bulls poured forward looking for a second, the Sunshine Coast had a chance on the counter attack as Shaun Blackman set up substitute Judd Molea, who found the net from 18 yards and levelled the scores at 1-1. With the Fire still hopeful of snatching three points, Blackman and Tyson Holmes both had opportunities to steal the win but it wasn’t to be, with the Fire having to settle for a draw and their first dropped points of the season.
With his side suffering their first hitch in an otherwise excellent season, Richard Hudson was disappointed with the result but said the side will not prepare any differently for this weekend’s clash.
‘We will be making the same preparations this week, straight back to our normal routine. We had a good training session last night, with lots of possession work – the boys look very keen to make amends on Sunday.
‘Gold Coast are the only other side who haven’t lost a game, so a win is vital to us.’
Since drawing 2-2 with Bundaberg Spirit in their first QSL fixture in Round 3, the Stars have toughed out wins over finals-contenders North Queensland Razorbacks and Southern Cross United in recent rounds, and will be looking for another scalp on Sunday.
Kick-off for the Round Six fixture is set for 2pm on Sunday April 17, at Stockland Park’s Western Fields.
As for the Fire’s Under-19 sides, the Sunshine Coast and Gympie Fire got their first look at one another on the weekend, with the teams playing a friendly at Gympie. The Sunshine Coast side launched to a 4-0 lead at half-time, before an improved second half from Gympie ended the match in a 5-3 win for the Sunshine Coast.
It was the third consecutive win for the Under-19s, and another step in the progression of the Gympie Fire, who showed plenty of character to get back into the contest. Richard Hudson is sure the side will record their first win before long.
‘It was a bit of a culture-shock for them when they first entered the State League, but each week has been a step in the right direction. As individuals and as a team they showed great character to get back into the match on the weekend.
‘They need to get that first win under their belt, I know it’s just around the corner.’
The Gympie Fire have a bye this weekend, but the Sunshine Coast Under-19s will be taking on the Gold Coast Stars youth side on Sunday afternoon, and will be hopeful of stretching their winning streak to four games. Kick-off is set for 4pm at Stockland Park’s Western Fields.
