Fury prevail in FC foray

Sydney travelled to North Queensland keen to keep their slim finals series hopes alive whilst the Fury were desperate to arrest a slide on and off the pitch with a win in front of an adoring Dairy Farmers mid-week audience.

The lingering uncertainty in relation to the future is clearly having an effect at the club with Robbie Middleby facing tough questions after the side’s soft performance against Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium last week.

With Isaka Cernak, Justin Pasfield and Chris Payne all having confirmed their departures in the winter, the club needed to look after what they could control and that was their on field performance by taking the scalp of the defending A-League champions Sydney FC.

The Fury looked to get on the front foot with a 4-3-3 formation with Jason Spagnuolo at the top of the formation whilst Sydney opted for their 4-2-3-1 formation. Sydney FC coach Viteszlav Lavicka persisting with Mark Bridge in the number 10 role despite flat performances in recent weeks. Stuart Musialik also returned to the side in partnership with Dimitri Petratos on the left hand side of midfield.

With ten minutes gone Sydney FC Captain Terry McFlynn exposed space in behind but at the precise moment when decisiveness would have brought a scoring opportunity, it deserted him.

The game was a battle in midfield with good periods of possession being enjoyed by both sides though, in truth, the ball rarely left the centre of the park without the side being forced to retreat and play the unlikely long ball.

The arm wrestle continued in the second half with shots from distance the tactic of choice to break the dead lock.

Sydney FC toiled hard on a typically hot Townsville evening earning three corners in succession between the 50th and 60th minutes and, in the process, enjoying the lion’s share of possession.

Lavicka looked to Socceroo striker Alex Brosque for a final half hour foray as Fury coach Franz Straka did his best to incite action into the meagre crowd; and it proved just the tonic.

An intentional hand ball and deserved yellow card for Hirofumi Moriyasu resulted in a free kick 25 yards from goal.

Ufuk Talay stepped up and knocked an honest shot on target up and over the five man wall. Sydney FC ‘keeper Ivan Necevski, who has been in excellent form in recent weeks, inexplicably fumbled the ball into his own goal. When Talay turned around the celebrate he was shocked to have found Franz Straka next to him already celebrating himself. This clearly bemused the fourth official who attempted to remind Straka of the generalities of the game as pandemonium ensued; the Fury clearly enjoying the release of the pressure valve.