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A catch-up round saw previously rained-out Round 1 BPL fixtures take
place overt the weekend. Wolves got the show running with a comprehensive
victory over arch rivals Rochedale, while Lions won yet again to increase their
lead at the top. North Star came out on top in the battle of the cellar
dwellers, while there were narrow wins for Peninsula, Capalaba and Ipswich.
Wolves FC 3:0 Rochedale Rovers
A clinical second half display by Wolves broke Rochedale’s six game
unbeaten streak and allowed Wolves to remain hot on the heels of league leaders
Lions.
Everyone will be talking about…
A first half of missed chances for Rovers and the goal that swung the
momentum. The visitors could have easily been two or three in front at the
break but for poor finishing. The turning point straight from the restart was a
35 metre cross-come-shot from Nathan Reardon that sailed into the far top
corner of the net.
Yeah, but what happened?
Rochedale enjoyed the better chances of the first 45, with Wolves not
managing a shot until 15 minutes into the match. Lucky to be heading into the
tunnel with the score goalless, Sam Saif’s men came out with renewed vigour in
the second half and took the lead through Reardon’s freak goal. With their
tails up, the hosts pushed for a second and they were soon celebrating, James
Richards slotting home from a tight angle after enterprising work from Kado
Aoci. The third strike was all about Aoci, as he made something out of nothing
from a long ball – winning a penalty after a sequence of sumptuous dribbling.
He duly converted the spot kick and completed the classic scoreline over his
teams’ arch nemesis.
The numbers:
Wolves – Reardon ’48; Richards ’67; Aoci ‘86(pen)
Looking ahead...
Wolves are in red hot form and will be strong favourites to beat North
Star, while Rochedale host the match of the round against leaders Lions.
Logan Lightning 2:3 Lions FC
Lions edged out Logan in a five goal Friday night thriller at Cornubia Park
to maintain top spot on the ladder.
Everyone will be talking about…
Are Lions firm title favourites? Class sides consistently manage to do
just enough to get maximum results and that is exactly what Lions did, first
coming from behind and then holding off late pressure from the hosts.
Yeah, but what happened?
Logan were in seventh heaven within three minutes of the start, as Doyle
Bissett struck home the opener to the delight of the home fans. But the hosts
became their own worst enemy just moments later, as a sloppy own goal gifted
Lions an equaliser. The Richlands side didn’t look back after that, taking a
two-goal lead through Shaun Carlos and Brodie Kenyon in the second half.
Phillip Randal popped up to give Logan hope with five minutes on the clock, but
Lions sustained the pressure and recorded another vital win on the road.
The numbers:
Logan – Bissett ‘3; Randal ‘85
Lions – OG ‘6; Carlos ’60; Kenyon ‘73
Looking ahead...
Logan will have another chance to pick up three points at home when they
welcome Peninsula Power next Saturday night, while Lions travel to a much
anticipated clash with Rochedale.
UQ FC 0:1 North Star
A first half header from Mikhail Hastings was enough to see ten-man
North Star record their first points of the season at fellow cellar dwellers
UQ.
Everyone will be talking about…
UQ’s goal drought. It has now been over six hours of football since the
students celebrated a goal. In truth, it never looked like arriving during a
match they could have got something out of.
Yeah, but what happened?
UQ were handed a huge boost on 17 minutes, as Star’s number nine Jake
Sullivan was shown a straight red card for a dangerous challenge on Sean
Benecke. However, spectators arriving late would not have guessed Uni had a man
advantage – the home side looking disjointed and out of sorts for the majority
of the game. Star hit the lead when Hastings converted Dylan Milne’s pin-point
cross from the flank and never looked likely to throw it away. Uni got their
chance to snatch a point with three minutes remaining when Daniel Stewart-McLean
found himself one-on-one with James
Eccles, but his shot sailed over the bar and with it UQ’s chances of winning
their first point of the season.
The numbers:
Star – Hastings ‘36
Looking ahead...
It’s hard to see how things can get worse for UQ, but it may take one
solid performance to swing momentum. They will be hoping it comes at Brisbane Force
next week. North Star will be buoyed by their first points of the year, but the
going gets tough on the road at Wolves.
Peninsula Power 1:0 Albany Creek
A stunning long-range goal from Jordan Lowdon proved the difference in
this north-side derby at AJ Kelly Park.
Everyone will be talking about…
Lowdon’s wonder goal. After picking up possession 40 metres from goal,
Lowdon skipped past one midfielder before unleashing an unstoppable dipping
shot worthy of winning any match.
Yeah, but what happened?
The first half tempo was lacking from both sides, with Creek holding the
ascendancy and enjoying the majority of what few chances eventuated. Power
picked up the pace in the second half and punished a bad spell from Creek when
Lowdon unleashed within ten minutes of the restart. The visitors showed great
fight towards the end but could not muster an equaliser that would have proved fair
on the balance of play.
The numbers:
Power – Lowdon ‘53
Looking ahead...
Power will be buoyed by anther clean sheet, but will undoubtedly look to
play a more expansive game at Brisbane Force next week. Creek will be desperate
to keep pace with leaders Lions and get back to winning ways on the road at
Easts.
Eastern Suburbs 1:2 Capalaba
Second half strikes from Antony Schiavo and Josh Sherwood completed an
impressive comeback for the Dogs at Heath Park.
Everyone will be talking about…
A familiar scoreline for Easts. Their third consecutive and overall
fourth 2-1 scoreline of the season this time saw Easts on the wrong end of the
stick.
Yeah, but what happened?
The Tigers started with a bang and hit the lead through the in-form
Jordan Farina just before the half-hour mark. Capalaba looked a more composed
unit after the break, hitting back through another Schiavo goal. The visitors
looked hungrier for the win as the clock wound down and they were rewarded for
their enterprise through Josh Sherwood’s strike 20 minutes from full-time. The Dogs
held off a string of late attacks from Easts to record a memorable away win.
The numbers:
Easts – Farina ‘28
Capalaba – Schiavo ‘51, Sherwood ‘72
Looking ahead...
Punters can back on another 2-1 result when Easts host
Albany Creek next week, with the only unknown being the winner. Capalaba are
hitting solid mid-season form and will be favourites at home to Ipswich.
Brisbane Force 1:2 Ipswich Knights
A dramatic last five minutes saw Ipswich overturn Force’s one goal lead
to snatch a crucial three points and remain in touch with the top four.
Everyone will be talking about…
The late turnaround. Just when it seemed the visitors would be left
frustrated after a string of missed opportunities and a resilient home defence,
Knights struck twice in four minutes to steal all three points from Force’s
grasp.
Yeah, but what happened?
After Force gained their first point of the season against Logan last
week, the pressure seemed to have lifted and that’s the way the hosts started
the game. A solid first half showing was made all the sweeter when Lachlan Munn
scored minutes before the break. Ipswich threw everything forward in the second
period, but it was to no avail, as Force seemed to be heading towards one
better than last week and recording their first win of the season. But the
visitors had other ideas and failed to give in – the breakthrough finally
arriving through Jonas Rasmussen five minutes from time. Still Ipswich refused
to settle for the draw, maintaining the pressure and sending bodies forward.
The visiting bench was soon on their feet in jubilation – Mathias Waldmann
netting home on the stroke of regulation time to complete the turnaround.
The numbers:
Force – Munn ‘40
Knights – Rasmussen ’85; Waldmann ‘89
Looking ahead...
Force will be heartbroken after such a defeat, but must
remain confident of bouncing back at home to UQ. Ipswich will travel to an
in-form Capalaba as underdogs, but riding on a high.