Brisbane Premier League: Round Four

A closely contested Round Four of the Brisbane Premier League saw four matches end in margins of one goal or less while there was a solitary draw played out by Logan and Capalaba on Friday night.

Albany Creek, Ipswich and Rochedale all picked up narrow away wins with Lions and Wolves looking most impressive with dominating displays.      


Logan Lightning 1-1 Capalaba
A last-gasp Antony Schiavo strike snatched a point for Capalaba to deny hosts Logan their first win of the season.

Everyone will be talking about…
Capalaba’s equaliser moments before full-time. With Logan seemingly doing enough to hold on to their slender lead, the Bulldogs’ final surge forward finally cracked the hosts’ dogged defence. 

Yeah, but what happened?
An end-to-end opening stanza was highlighted by Phillip Randal’s 14th minute strike. The Logan frontman was beautifully put through on goal by Trent Vohland, who capitalised on Jake Sherwood’s miscontrol in midfield and watched his teammate confidently slot a low drive past Dogs ‘keeper Nick Andrews. Capalaba looked rejuvenated in the second period and came close to the equaliser on a number of occasions, although a late mishit from Randal in a one-on-one situation with Andrews could have ended the contest. The next play resulted in the equaliser, as Schiavo thumped home a clever cut-back from Ashley Denniss.

The numbers:
Logan: Randal ‘14
Capalaba: Schiavo ‘90+3

Looking ahead...
Capalaba will take the positives out of this match into next week’s home game against pointless Brisbane Force while Logan are still in search of their first win of the season when they travel to Easts.


University of Queensland 1-2 Albany Creek

Albany Creek maintained their perfect start in the BPL, collecting their third consecutive win with a comfortable victory at UQ.

Everyone will be talking about…
Albany Creek’s form and standing on the table. The BPL debutants occupy second spot, only behind to Lions FC on goal difference.

Yeah, but what happened?
A solid start by UQ was undone by a lapse in concentration by shot-stopper Sam Cook, who misjudged a loose ball and allowed Matt Hornby to lob the ball into an empty net. Uni continued to dominate possession but the visitors had the cutting edge; this time Matt Needham firing past Cook in a one-on-one situation right before the interval. Albany Creek had numerous fruitless opportunities in the second period, several falling to striker Loic David. Albany Creek looked dangerous on the counter with Uni pushing men forward but Needham was unable to end the contest with a clear chance late on. David was eventually able to snatch what proved a mere consolation for an ineffective UQ side.

The numbers:
UQ: David ‘86
Creek: Hornby ’14, Needham ‘43

Looking ahead...
Uni remain winless at the foot of the table and it’s not about to get easier as a daunting trip to Wolves awaits next Friday night. Albany Creek are also on the road again, taking on fellow BPL newcomers Ipswich on Saturday night.


Peninsula Power 3-5 Lions FC

Lions turned on the style to seal their third straight win and snatch top spot from opponents Peninsula Power in an eight-goal Saturday night thriller.   

Everyone will be talking about…
Lions’ free-scoring form. Up against arguably the in-form team from the opening two rounds, Lions bagged five away goals and resisted a comeback charge from the hosts.   

Yeah, but what happened?
The visitors shell-shocked the AJ Kelly Park faithful with two goals in the opening twenty minutes. Their blistering start was overshadowed by a quick-fire Power double from Michael Baird and Michael Butters late in the first half. Brodie Kenyon struck within fifteen minutes of the restart for Lions but Baird was quick to restore parity with his second. It was anyone’s game at this stage and Lions proved the hungrier as Kentaro Ishikawa netted their fourth with twenty minutes to go. Power pressed for yet another equaliser but Shoheel Khan ended the contest in the 86th.  

The numbers:
Power: Baird ’44 ’64, Butters ‘45+1
Lions: Butler ‘2 ’20; Kenyon ’58, Ishikawa ’68, Khan ‘86

Looking ahead...
Lions are one of the teams to watch at the moment and they’ll be confident of grabbing their fourth straight win when they host North Star next Sunday. Power travel to old foes Rochedale.


Wolves FC 2-0 Eastern Suburbs

Wolves powered past a ten-man Easts to pick up their second consecutive win and climb to third.

Everyone will be talking about…
Daniel Cunha’s red card right before the interval. Already a goal down, it was always going to be a tough task going down to ten men and Wolves capitalised soon after the restart.

Yeah, but what happened?
Kresimir Bek put last year’s Grand Final winners ahead with a confident headed finish on 24 minutes. The game was closely contested for the remainder of the half until Cunha was shown red shortly before the break. Easts were made to pay within a minute of the restart as Kado Aoci doubled the home side’s advantage with another prolific finish. Wolves saw out the game in a professional manner and could have extended their lead but for Trent Clulow striking the bar from a penalty.

The numbers:
Wolves: Bek ’24, Aoci ‘46

Looking ahead...
Wolves are finding form and will be strong favourites when they host UQ next Friday night. Easts will look to bounce back from their first defeat of the season when they welcome Logan.


North Star 1-2 Ipswich Knights

Two goals in three second half minutes saw Ipswich steal all three points from O’Callaghan Park to leave North Star pointless after three matches.

Everyone will be talking about…
Star’s inability to hold on to their lead. After narrowly going down to Albany Creek last week, Star once again failed to defend an advantage at home.     

Yeah, but what happened?
The home side were rewarded for their bright start when Alexander Mann opened the scoring after twenty minutes. As the game wore on, Knights upped the tempo but Star looked confident in holding on to the win. That was until 15 minutes from time when Tambwe Sadick grabbed a desperate equaliser for Ipswich. Once the backline was broken, the shackles fell apart and Star soon conceded a second with Mitchell Davis notching home the winner.

The numbers:
Star: Mann ‘20
Knights: Sadick ’74, Davis ‘77

Looking ahead...
Star face the sternest of challenges when they travel to top of the table Lions next Sunday, while Ipswich entertain in-form Albany Creek.


Brisbane Force 1-2 Rochedale Rovers

Two second half goals from John Thompson and Greg Cheshire overturned a one-goal half-time deficit to leave Rochedale heading home with all three points from CJ Greenfield Reserve.

Everyone will be talking about…
Yet another unconvincing display from Rochedale. Rovers laboured to their second win of the year in unflattering fashion, having to come from behind to a far from exuberant Brisbane Force side.

Yeah, but what happened?
The hosts took a surprise lead in only the first minute when Alexander Mann broke through and converted to the delight of the home fans. It looked like it was all going horribly wrong for Rochedale again until a surprisingly reminiscent scenario to the North Star v Ipswich match occurred. Thompson grabbed an equaliser on the hour mark which was immediately followed by Rovers’ second from the boot of Cheshire – in the end proving the winner.

The numbers:
Force: Mann ‘20
Rochedale: Thompson ’59, Cheshire ‘61

Looking ahead...
Rochedale’s season outlook could be shaped based on their result and performance in next week’s crunch game at home to Power, while Force will travel to Capalaba in search of their first BPL win.


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