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Mick van Moolenbroek opened the scoring for the Mackay-based
Miners from the penalty spot before Strikers defender Alex Henderson’s own goal
extended the visitors’ lead and ultimately sealed the result.
Unfavoured before the match, Miners secured
their fourth consecutive clean sheet by stifling the Strikers in midfield while
their defensive line effectively silenced runaway QSL Golden Boot, Matt
Thurtell.
The match was keenly contested from the outset, a stop-start
opening ten minutes setting the tone for an often physical and sometimes scrappy game.
The home side saw the best of the opening exchanges, with
Michael Angus and Thurtell both unable to capitalise on opportunities just outside the box.
Matthew Zappone’s run to the by-line created the first
chance for Miners, the right midfielder’s low cross taking a deflection in a
crowded penalty area and almost sneaking in at the near post.
Shortly after, Brisbane believed they'd opened the scoring
through Chris Di Sipio, however referee Sams Williams adjudged Thurtell to have
impeded Miners’ keeper Brad Moss in the lead-up.
The game was turned on its head on 26 minutes when Miners were
awarded a penalty after Henderson was deemed to have pushed van Moolenbroek in
the back; van Moolenbroek calmly converting the subsequent spot-kick.
Twelve minutes later the Miners doubled their lead when
Zappone picked up a loose ball in midfield.
The midfielder rounded his marker with a sharp turn of pace
before unleashing a low shot toward the far post. Strikers goalkeeper David
Chambers produced a remarkable fingertip save only to see the ball cruelly scrambled
behind by Henderson, who couldn’t halt his desperate covering slide.
Buoyed by their two-goal buffer, Whitsundays became more adventurous
and almost scored a third before the half-time whistle; Dan Corbett’s shot skimming
the crossbar from an acute angle.
Shortly after the restart the visitors again missed a chance
to seal the win, Jordan Conte striking a spectacular volley across the face of
goal from 10 yards despite having time to control.
Brisbane upped the ante in response, with Di Sipio and
Henderson both seeing solid attempts cleared off a congested goal line either side of the
50th minute.
Eager to quell any Strikers resurgence, the Miners sat back and were almost brought undone by Greg King, who forced two fine
fingertip saves from Moss with two dipping long range efforts.
With time fast running out, an increasingly desperate and
frustrated Brisbane side committed men forward and were fortunate not to
concede on the counter. Chambers forced into a lunging, left-handed save by
Corbett in the 84th minute.
It initiated a final five minutes of fast and frantic
football, but the Miners continued to deny Brisbane the comeback their
vocal home crowd demanded, subsequently securing their spot in next week’s
decider.
Speaking after the game, Miners coach Graham Henry was
full of praise for his side.
“I thought it was a game of two halves. I thought first half
we were very good, going forward we took our chances. But the second half, I
think Strikers dominated that second half and it was really backs to the wall
stuff.”
“There’s no secret how Strikers played this year – they’ve
been very effective at it,” Henry expanded, “We worked very hard on the two
centre midfielders this week.”
“To be honest though, you can’t single anybody out. Everyone
has played their role exactly how I asked them.”
Henry suggested that the club’s failure to secure a spot in
next season’s Australian Premier League competition served to motivate his
charges.
“As I said to the boys this week, they really are playing
for their futures. You get yourself into a grand final, it’s something to put
on your CV and coaches and managers will be more likely to have a look at you.”
Strikers coach David Large was visibly disappointed by the
result that abruptly concluded his side’s season and continued a run of ruinous results
in QSL finals football for the club.
“We just didn’t work as hard as we should have in the first
half,” Large stated.
“I thought second
half we did everything we could have possibly done to score goals and it just
didn’t work for us tonight.”
Large dismissed suggestions his side peaked too early in their campaign, “I don’t think our form was poor tonight - I think we played well. I
think they just scrambled a little better than us and probably got the run of
the green.”
“I just don’t see what we could’ve done. I thought we picked
the right team for the day, the right tactics. Everything I feel was right. I
just think they got the rub of the green.”
Strikers captain John Costello was full of praise for his
teammates despite the disappointing end to the season.
“I haven’t been involved with a group of players that commit
to training as well as this group,” Costello asserted.
“It’s going to be difficult but we’re going to be searching
for answers until we start again next year.”