Under 15 Boys – Brisbane Strikers FC (3) v Sunshine Coast FC (1)
Fire travelled to Brisbane on a fine Sunday morning to play a Strikers outfit that had come out on top in both previous matches this season, however both matches had been extremely tight contests.
Fire started poorly, with the Strikers looking sharper early and on just three minutes they took the lead with a well worked goal. Midfield runners weren’t tracked, allowing the Strikers to get in behind and a well-placed cross found the Strikers forward who tapped in from close range.
Strikers continued to dominate proceedings early, but on 10 minutes a fantastic long diagonal ball from Keegan New found Kaelan Debbage in space whose volley from 18 yards went just wide, and from that moment Fire began to get a foothold in the match.
Fire’s midfield began to break even as Nathan Thompson, Harry Arnison and Jordan Meredith all began to roll their sleeves up in what was a physical match. The Strikers had a chance on 14 minutes that was dealt with before some excellent work by stand in striker Budd Baublys saw him beat his man and finish clinically to even the scores.
Harry Fletcher and Lachlan Tolpitt were both being kept busy by the Strikers attack, but both did an excellent defensive job to keep the opposition out, while at the other end Fire had a number of opportunities from set pieces that didn’t trouble the scorers.
At half time Fire went in at 1-1, which was a fair reflection of the play.
The second half got off to the worst possible start as some scrambling defence ended with a Strikers shot that took a wicked deflection giving keeper Eligh Williams no chance and the Strikers had a 2-1 lead.
Fire began pressing for an equaliser in what was a great contest between two teams giving their all. Fire got in behind the Strikers defence on a number of occasions and probably should have scored but the final delivery let us down.
Nathan Thompson had a free header from a corner that was put over the bar, and then Budd Baulys also had a header that didn’t trouble the keeper.
On 20 minutes Eligh Williams pulled off a great save from close range to keep Fire in the contest and then Fire had a great opportunity to equalise as a break out wide saw Harry Arnison cut the ball back to Baublys who fired his shot over the bar from the penalty spot.
As Fire pushed numbers forward the Strikers countered and another Eligh Williams save on 35 minutes kept us in the match before the game was settled with the final kick of the match as the Strikers attacker got on the wrong side of the defender and his shot was saved but the rebound was tapped in for the Strikers to go 3-1 ahead.
Player of the Match: Harry Fletcher
Under 15 Girls – Redlands United FC (2) v Sunshine Coast FC (3)
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Under 16 Boys – SWQ Thunder FC (4) – Sunshine Coast FC (2)
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Under 18 Boys – Moreton Bay United FC (6) v Sunshine Coast FC (1)
Both teams were looking to settle first in very warm early Spring-like conditions and although neither team created any clear chances in the first few minutes, Fire tested the Moreton Bay defence with two free kicks into the box.
Fire were positive and held possession well, exchanging a number of passes before Liam Burns broke forward from midfield in the 9th minute and played a penetrating ball forward for Aidan Ward to get in behind the Moreton Bay defence on the left. Ward crossed an early ball for Jez Lofthouse making a near post run and under close attention from Lofthouse, the Moreton Bay defender deflected the ball into his own net to give Fire a 1-0 lead.
Fire were enjoying the better of the game at this stage and could have gone ahead 2-0 in the 11th minute when Ollie Blackmore played a short square pass to set Ward up on his favourite left foot just outside the box, but the shot was deflected for a corner.
Fire seemed unable to keep their intensity which allowed Moreton Bay more possession and in the 15th minute Sam Porter in goal for Fire was not able to make a clean catch from a high free kick launched into a crowded box. Liam Campbell for Moreton Bay reacted first to the loose ball to score and bring his team level a t 1-1.
In the 21st minute the Fire defence was again stretched by yet another long diagonal ball in behind and a quick cross from the right by the Moreton Bay wide player found Campbell unmarked in space at the far post to put his side ahead 2-1.
In the 30th minute Blackmore, showing quick feet, won a free kick at the top of the box when he was brought down by desperate defending but Ward hit the free kick into the defensive wall.
Two minutes later in another promising move from Fire, Blackmore won the ball in midfield and found Sebastian Festa coming off the last defender. Festa held the ball up and played back to Blackmore who kept the momentum going forward and found Lofthouse at the top of the box, but his dangerous left foot shot just cleared the crossbar.
Fire were beginning to fall into old bad habits and were holding the ball too long in transition. They were punished in the 35th minute when the ball was lost going forward and the Fire defence were again stretched when Moreton Bay quickly countered, and despite Porter coming off his line well to smother the firm shot, Lachlan Gersbach was unmarked on the right to slot home the deflected ball for Moreton Bay and stretch the lead to 3-1.
At this stage Moreton Bay did not look like a two goal better side but were finding a few holes in the Fire defence. In the 43rd minute Porter was again called on to save at the feet of an attacker as the ball was played in behind the Fire defence.
Fire needed to score first in the second half but were saved from going further behind from a desperate goal saving tackle by Burns in the 49th minute. The opportunity to score Fire’s second came to the hard working Festa in the 54th minute when he pressed high and forced an error between the Moreton Bay keeper and the last defender but his lob, looking goal bound as it cleared the stranded keeper, deviated into the post and back out as it bounced and was scrambled away.
The break down in transition was still causing Fire problems and from a corner in the 58th minute a soft defensive header fell to the feet of Jack Greentree who reacted quicker than a number of Fire defenders and hit a clean strike into the net to make it 4-1.
Fire would have to dig deep to get back from here but again showed their defensive fragility in the 68th minute when an attempted clearance deep in a crowded Fire box was struck into a Fire teammate. Lachlan Strogusz was on hand for Moreton Bay to stab the ball into the Fire net to make it 5-1.
Fire began to lose their shape and cohesion despite good individual efforts. Festa was full of running and continued to press the Moreton Bay defence until the final whistle. Jake Nalder was solid in defence on his return to the Fire team and Blackmore and Burns never stopped working in the midfield for Fire.
In a season where Fate seemed to deal late cruel twists in a number of games for the luckless Fire 18s, the final goal to complete the humiliation came in the 78th minute after a mix up in the Fire defence and the alert Declan Smith nipped in between keeper and last defender to steal the ball and slot home into an open goal for Moreton Bay to make it 6-1.
