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| Credit: Football Queensland |
Palm Beach Sharks 5 (Camilleri 4' 13', Lucas 58' 71', Panic 84')
CQFC Energy 4 (Geddes 22' p.30' 40' 54')
Not even a four-goal haul from star Central Queensland attacker Chris Geddes could halt Palm Beach from scoring twice late to claim three points on Saturday.
Geddes' goals turned a 2-0 deficit into an incredible 4-2 lead for Energy as a first half hattrick gave the visitors a lead at the break despite Jonathan Camilleri's early brace, though that was just the beginning of the drama.
The Sharks were already a man down from the earlier penalty and Geddes put the 10th-placed CQ two ahead shortly after the restart with his eleventh of the campaign, skipping onto a searching long ball to drill home, but Chris Lucas intervened for the hosts with a match-turning double of his own within thirteen minutes.
The winger first finished coolly after latching onto a well-weighted ball in behind and then drew the ten-men level with a blockbuster finish, leaping into a volley which scorched into the top corner.
If that blow wasn't bitter enough for the downtrodden Energy, recent acquisition Alexander Panic then stole the rollercoaster affair for Palm Beach by tapping home from close range in the 84th minute.
Northern Fury 0
Brisbane Strikers 3 (Angus 13', Taylor 35' 82')
Young forward Josh Taylor continued to settle into Matt Thurtell's groove with a brace in Brisbane Strikers' important 3-0 defeat of Northern Fury in Townsville on Saturday night.
Midfielder Michael Angus set Strikers in motion in just the 13th minute, a lead which Taylor added to prior to the break and again in the latter stages as the visitors marched on to a second consecutive 3-0 victory.
The points restored the Bowen Hills based club to second on the NPLQ ladder, albeit having played an extra match than local rivals City, while Fury remained seventh.
Redlands United 3 (Barbarouses 33' Fyfe 69' Reuben Way 74')
Brisbane City 3 (Murray 26' Dean Le Petit 74' Biggins 80')
Redlands United and Brisbane City played out a predictably entertaining 3-3 draw at Cleveland Showgrounds on Saturday night.
It was fourth hosting second at the time of kick-off and the in-form City started quickest with league top-scorer Antonio Murray making the first incision to score before the half-hour mark, though Redlands, smarting from a last start loss to Olympic, equalised just minutes later through George Barbarouses.
The two sides again traded goals deep into the second stanza but on both occasions it was the visitors forced to fight back as strikes from prolific pair Graham Fyfe and Reuben Way gave the Devils leads which were cancelled out by Dean Le Petit and Matt Biggins.
The result was costliest for Redlands as they fell eleven points from first; City, however, can reclaim second in their catch-up match at Moreton Bay on Sunday.
Moreton Bay United Jets 2 (Brownlie 20' Joseph 70')
Queensland Academy of Sport 2 (Ronto p.15' Klaassen 87')
Josh McCloughan's Queensland Academy of Sport avoided defeat for the third time this season as Moreton Bay slipped up at Wolter Park in Saturday's final fixture.
Nick Klaassen was the man for the QAS, netting in the 87th minute after his side had let slip a lead gained by Elliott Ronto's early penalty.
The Jets scored twice between twice in that time - Moses Joseph adding to Royce Brownlie's sixth of the campaign - but start-up outfit were unable to preserve that lead for the final twenty minutes.
Moreton Bay stayed sixth despite the point and are within striking distance of the fifth-placed Fire.
Sunshine Coast FC 4 (Arnison p.22' Knight 39' Verdin 47' Lynch 58')
FNQFC Heat 0
Sunshine Coast scored twice in both halves to ease to a morale-boosting home victory over Far North Queensland on Sunday.
Young attacker James Verdin's performance was of particular note in a rout which came just in time for Fire, who had suffered back-to-back defeats to top four competitors in City and Strikers.
Far North Queensland have themselves now recorded consecutive losses and will look to reverse that form in Townsville after the break.
Western Pride 0
Olympic FC 1 (OG 35')
Olympic FC made it eleven matches undefeated of the 22-round NPLQ season on Sunday afternoon, edging past Western Pride at Eric Evans Oval by a single goal.
The match was won in the 35th minute when a left-wing run and square pass by Olympic winger Matt Heath was turned in for an own goal by a Pride defender.
Chances were scant throughout the match and although the visitors were short on the goals which made them league top-scorers, they did keep a clean sheet for just the second time this season - limiting the hosts to half-chances as the Ipswich club were dealt a third 1-0 defeat.
Olympic moved seven points clear in first with the victory but that can be cut to six if City win their catch-up match, whereas Western Pride fell a position to ninth.