Sydney FC's Italian crusade

Following their successful jaunt to Japan, Sydney FC are now making their way to Italy to preach the Del Piero gospel to the previously-converted-but-whose-attention-may-have-waned-slightly. Just think of Frank Farina as Richard The Lionheart.

The three week crusade does include time for Seb Ryall and Rhyan Grant to nip down to Florence and pick up some leather jackets, however Brett Emerton's request of a day trip to Rome so he can do the speech from Gladiator (My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius... father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next) from inside the Colosseum has been denied. 

The team and staff will depart for the preseason tour on Friday, but first play Macarthur Rams tonight in a friendly at Campbelltown Stadium (7:30pm kickoff). Homebase for the duration of the tour will be Jesolo.

Setting sail; Sydney FC off to fly the A-League flag in Italy. Credit: Football Through A Lens

Sydney FC Italian Tour Itinerary:
Aug 2 Sydney FC departs Sydney for Venice
Aug 7 Sydney FC v Padova Stadio Euganeo, Padova 8.45pm (4.45am Syd time)
Aug 8 Sydney FC v Udinese Stadio Comunale Picchi, Jesolo 5pm (1am Syd time)
Aug 13 Sydney FC v Vicenza Calcio Stadio Comunale Picchi, Jesolo 6pm (2am Syd time)
Aug 14 Sydney FC v A.S. Cittadella Stadio Comunale Picchi, Jesolo 5pm (1am Syd time)
Aug 17 Sydney FC v Venezia Stadio Comunale Picchi, Jesolo 6pm (2am Syd time)
Aug 21 Sydney FC v Reggiana Mapei Stadium, Reggio 9pm (5am Syd time)
Aug 24 Sydney FC arrives back in Sydney
Sep 2 Sydney FC resumes pre season training with the full squad

Sydney FC Tour Squad: 
Ivan Necevski, Sebastian Ryall, Marc Warren, Pascal Bosschaart, Matt Jurman, Brett Emerton, Pedj Bojic, Corey Gameiro, Alessandro Del Piero, Tiago Calvano, Mitch Mallia, Terry McFlynn, Joel Chianese, Peter Triantis, Nick Carle, Vedran Janjetovic, Yairo Yau, Ali Abbas, Rhyan Grant, Daniel Petkovski, Josh MacDonald, Nick Taneski, Alec Urosevski.

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BPL Wrap: Heating up with 4 rounds to go

Lions, Wolves and Power all enjoyed victories to leave the top three unchanged at the end of Round 18. But Rochedale’s fortunes were not as good – their loss sees the race for fourth well and truly ignite. Capalaba are hot on their heels and Logan could still sneak in, if they repeat performances such as this weeks’.

UQ FC   1:4   Logan Lightning    

Logan bounced back from their thumping at Wolves last week to record a comfortable victory on the road to cellar dwellers UQ.    

Everyone will be talking about…

An action-packed first half. Logan took ascendancy…UQ hit back back…four goals were scored in all and the result was all but settled before the break.  

      

Yeah, but what happened?

Logan’s Daniel Clark took the game into his own hands – bagging a double in a frantic opening stanza that saw the return of Uni’s fragile defending. Stewart Croll breathed life back in the contest by pulling one back for the students, but moments later Jackson Hall restored the visitors’ two-goal advantage going into the break. It was a more composed second half from both teams, but the resounding scoreline wouldn’t have been complete without Phillip Randal getting on the scoreline. He did just that with 20 minutes to play to put the result beyond doubt.      

The numbers:

UQ – Croll ‘39

Logan – Clark ’21, ’34; Hall ’41; Randal ‘68

Looking ahead...

UQ face a mammoth task of bouncing back against Lions next weekend, while Logan will look to finish the season strongly, hosting Force in the next round.

North Star   0:3   Capalaba    

Capalaba easily downed North Star at O’Callaghan Park to stay in contention for a finals spot with five matches to play.  

Everyone will be talking about…

The efficiency of the Lopez-Schiavo strike partnership. The pair were both on target again and if the Dogs are to play in September – those two have a lot to do with it.

Yeah, but what happened?

Xavier Lopez got things rolling as early as the seventh minute to ease any pre-game tension for the visitors – who could ill afford a slip-up. An uneventful first-half was soon forgotten after the break, with Antony Schiavo and Greg Warden closing out the result before the hour mark.                    

The numbers:

Capalaba – Lopez ‘7; Schiavo ’50; Warden ‘58

Looking ahead...

Star are almost assured of finishing in the bottom three after this result – leaving them eight points behind ninth-placed Albany Creek. They travel to Easts next week, while Capalaba can ill-afford a slip-up at home to Creek.   

Peninsula Power   1:0   Eastern Suburbs

A lone strike from Ally Graham midway through the second half was enough to secure all three points for Power and all but wrap up a top three finish for the all-whites.

Everyone will be talking about…

Power’s chances in the finals. On their day, Power have shown that they can match it with the best, but they need a strong run-in to gain enough momentum and topple the likes of Lions and Wolves.       

Yeah, but what happened?

Power came into the match knowing a win would almost certainly seal their finals spot, while Easts were desperate for a result to remain in the hunt for fourth. With such high stakes in place, the match never really lit up, with both sides taking few risks and opting not to commit too many players forward. The first goal was always going to be crucial and this time it proved the difference – Graham sending the home fans into delirium before helping his side close out the final quarter of an hour.  

The numbers:

Power – Graham ‘65

Looking ahead...

It’s another crunch encounter for Power in the next round – they travel to Wolves looking to put a serious dent in their rivals’ minor premiership aspirations and close the gap between the two. Easts can ill afford another loss – they’ll be fired up against travelling North Star.

Albany Creek  2:0   Rochedale Rovers  

Albany Creek produced a major upset, downing fourth-placed Rochedale to move eight points clear of the bottom three.

Everyone will be talking about…

Will Rochedale make the finals? It’s almost a toss of the coin at the moment – it’s been one of the Rovers’ most inconsistent seasons in the BPL.        

Yeah, but what happened?

 Rochedale are well known for their attacking fluency but this season they’ve been susceptible to teams adopting their own philosophy. That’s exactly what Creek did early on, throwing men forward and taking the game to the visitors. It paid off – James Walker opening the scoring in the opening ten minutes. It was a bitter blow for Rochedale, who were lacking their usual efficiency in the final third. Creek punished a tentative defence in the second half, with Matt Needham sealing the result with ten minutes to play.                                        

The numbers:

Creek – Walker ‘6; Needham ’80

Looking ahead...

Creek seem to have put the demons of their horror losing streak behind them and they could pose further trouble for visiting Capalaba next weekend. Rochedale are hanging on to fourth by a thread – they welcome Ipswich on Sunday afternoon.  

Brisbane Force  0:2   Wolves FC  

Wolves rounded off another comfortable victory, this time at Force, to temporarily go top of the table.

Everyone will be talking about…

It’s not all about the strike force. Wolves’ defence has stood solid in the latter stages of the season and another clean sheet sees them having conceded just 14 times in 17 matches.       

Yeah, but what happened?

 Wolves usually impose themselves early on in the match and it was no different this time around, with Daniel Shepherd breaking through to score in the 17^th minute. It was always going to be an uphill battle for the hosts from then on and they never seemed to settle into the game – succumbing to a second goal from Drew Jeskey right before half-time. Force proved more formidable in a scoreless second half, but Wolves had taken one foot off the pedal by then.                                           

The numbers:

Wolves – Shepherd ’17; Jeskey ‘43

Looking ahead...

Like North Star, Force are also almost certainly assured of a bottom-three finish – but they’ll still fancy an upset when they travel to Logan next week. Wolves host Power in a top three crunch match on Saturday afternoon. 

Shoheel Khan on the scoresheet...yet again. Photo: Ian Judd - FB Media

Ipswich Knights  1:5   Lions FC  

Lions romped home after going behind in the first half to secure all three points and maintain their slender lead at the top of the table. .

Everyone will be talking about…

Can they hold on? Three points ahead but having played a game more than Wolves – who also have a superior goal difference – every match is a final for Lions in their bid to secure the minor premiership with four matches to play.         

Yeah, but what happened?

Victor Fenehia stunned the visitors with his goal midway through the first period. It proved to be a wake up call for the league leaders, who hit back through Jason Tobin and Greg Thomas to head into the sheds in front at the break. It was all one way traffic in the second half with Tomoya Kodama netting a third, before Thomas and Shoheel Khan rounded off a thumping victory.                                       

The numbers:

Knights – Fenehia ‘27

Lions – Tobin ’35; Thomas ’42, ‘72(p); Kodama ’62; Khan ‘90

Looking ahead...

Ipswich’s tilt at the top four looks all but over with this loss, but they’ll keep believing until there’s a mathematical chance – victory at Rochedale next week will do their hopes a world of good. Lions await a routine victory – at least on paper – when they welcome last-placed UQ. 

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Stocky's Scribbles: Women’s grassroots flourishes

On a mild, wet and windy Sunday night when everyone else was watching the final episode of the block while devouring their hot cooked dinner, the Brighton Womens Div 2 Seniors were taking on the Caulfield Cobras at Kingston Heath Soccer Complex.

This top of the table clash would normally only draw the regular disciples from supporting families but this was different. An entrepreneurial post on facebook by a clever young lady using the recent visit by Liverpool as the draw card saw many old Brighton faithful and past players drawn to the ground for what was an entertaining night of fast and furious women’s football.

Royalty was on show; pas and present Presidents, Committee Members and coaching fraternity of the club along with legendary volunteers and past junior players all fronted to offer unbridled support for the Brighton Womens team.

The anticipation and excitement by the volumous gathering behind the Brighton dugout heralded a look of steely resolve in the eyes of the Brighton girls outfit as they knew they had to perform on the big stage – especially when all these amazing supporters had turned up to cheer them on in the rain. And perform they did!!!

With a vibrant northerly blowing and rain sheets intermittently streaming from under the bright lights across the pitch, the Brighton girls were pumped, their faces stoic and focused on the task at hand.

With captain/coach Abi Love on the field tonight, the assistant Mr John Perich was overseeing the warm up and quietly smirking at the huge turn up for the game. John likes a big stage and has runs on the board becoming the first Victorian Futsal coach to ever take home a female Australian Championship in 2012. The girls rallied into position, jumping up and down on the spot awaiting the whistle to blow.

The starting lineup saw youngster Bridget Hanrahan guarding the net supported by the leadership of experienced defenders Abi Love, Sarah Fraser-Jones, Sarah Beck and Blair Taylor. A defensive line that Winston Churchill would be proud of.

Driving and controlling the engine room was the talented Liana D’Amico combined with the experienced Magda Wyszomirska and Natalie Aramian to create the play.

Up front the speedy Kim Francis combined with skilled wingers Arielle Kissas and Phoebe Chapman to hopefully sneak a couple of “sausage rolls” past the Caulfield defense. On the bench were the tanacious Emily Chai, Georgina Huse and Amelia X.

The game began with great gusto as there was no holding back by either team with their tackles and aggression on the ball. The Brighton girls were kicking into a very strong wind and were controlling the ball well through the midfield distributing with pinpoint accuracy to the wings where Phoebe C and Arielle K were lurking.

At the five minute mark, Magda W captured the ball in the middle of the pitch and turned to release a bullet like pass to the blistering run of Natalie A up the right wing. She quickly scooted past the Caulfield defenders and dispatched a beautifully weighted cross to the waiting feet of Kim F who deftly caressed the ball passed the Caulfield keeper into the back of the net.

The roar from the Brighton camp was deafening as celebrations were underway by all and sundry. 1-0 to the Brighton women with a certain excited supporter throwing his head back on the completion of the goal, banging his head against the steel light pole. It really hurt!

Coming to the end of the first half, Caulfield were doing everything they could to force entry into their forward half but were unable to penetrate the indefatigable backline of Brighton with Bridget H playing a vital role in repelling every Caulfield attack with an air of confidence that belied her age.

The two centre backs were like a rock and with the left and right backs shut down every forward thrust before any entry could be made. When a number of balls finally did get past and Caulfield threatened with continuous corners, Brighton prevailed and headed to the break with a one goal lead.

The second half saw Emily C, Georgina H and Amelia X make their way onto the pitch and the Brighton girls were determined to utilize the strong breeze now in their favour.

Overall, the standard and quality of the game was really good with both teams displaying skillful and adroit passing combined with a passion for the game that saw many bodies put on the line for the good of the team. Emily C was brought down in the heat of battle and was stretchered off with an ankle injury adding to the list of casualties for Brighton this year.

At the 68 minute mark, Pheobe C danced around the Caulfield defensive line and with great vision switched the ball across the entire pitch to the feet of the rampaging Amelia X who evaded the goalkeeper's outstretched hands to slot the second major for Brighton and provide some breathing space between the two teams.

It was now a matter of Brighton shutting up shop and holding off the desperate attempts of Caulfield Cobra’s to find their first major. Despite the Cobras best efforts it didn’t happen and the Brighton Women’s team came out on top reversing the result from game one and positioning themselves as a real chance to secure a State League One spot in 2014.

You see it’s been several years since my daughter previously pulled on the Brighton jersey, back when it was the green and gold in fact! Our vision was always for Brighton SC to host a Women's Premier League Team in 2015 and the desire still burns in the hearts of many who were both on and off the pitch. From humble beginnings, this grassroots club has produced some extraordinary young women playing for national, state and international teams today.

One of the beauties of being part of a club is the friendship and comradeship that exists where no one is really playing for themselves but for each other and the pride of the shirt. This was most evident on the night as the Brighton girls huddled to celebrate a well fought win and contemplate what might be in the year ahead.

In the car on the way home I recalled the many wonderful memories of being part of a grassroots football club and how much I missed it.

Stay tuned this week when I return to Darebin to report on the many Brighton SC girls who now participate in the FFV NTC Girls squad against the Northern U15 Boys each week.

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VPL Wrap: The difference a month makes

Momentum, you either have it or you don't. Melbourne Knights have all the momentum at the moment after they notched up their third win on the bounce. Northcote, who were the runaway leaders for the first half of the season, have lost every ounce of momentum after they managed to scrape in for a draw; their fourth consecutive game without a win.

Whilst not great for Northcote it opens the competition right up for the chasing pack which for the neutral supporter is good news. Another fantastic weekend of VPL football has been and gone. 

Bentleigh Greens surprisingly play in green. Credit: Cindy Nitsos

Bentleigh Greens 1 (De Vries 38’)

Hume City 1 (Sumbul 16’)
Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Hume City amazingly shared a point for the first time this season after they kept Bentleigh to a 1-1 draw away. Hume opened the scoring just after the quarter hour mark and were very unlucky to have the equaliser allowed shortly before half time.

Hume and Bentleigh share second spot on the VPL table and look assured of playing finals football. Both sides have big games next week with Hume hosting Dandenong and the Greens away to Oakleigh.

Port Melbourne Sharks 1 (Prelevic 15')
Melbourne Knights 3 (Barisic 30' 59' Cvitkovic 70')
SS Anderson Reserve
The Knights continue to climb the VPL ladder, this time with a win at home over finals contender Port Melbourne. The Sharks took an early lead but it was all Knights from there on in as they finished the round in in equal second position, locked on points with Bentleigh and Hume.

The win is the Knights third on the trot and they have only dropped two points from the last 15 on offer. Momentum is on Melbourne Knights side right now. Port Melbourne remain in a finals spot for now and have an enticing match up at Northcote City next week. The Knights have the local derby against Green Gully. Do not miss that!

Southern Stars 0
Oakleigh Cannons 4 (Vittiglia 28’ Bosnjak 39’ 66’ Zoric 73’)
Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Southern Stars were left seeing stars after they were smacked 4-0 by Oakleigh. Two goals in each half saw the Cannons comfortably put aside the bottom side to give themselves a shot at playing in the finals. Miron Bleiberg's men looked refreshed after their unexepected week off and were not tested which should bode well for their next game at home to Bentleigh. The Stars will need to regroup as they go to Pascoe Vale trying to find another win.

Green Gully Cavaliers 1 (Fisher 62’)
Pascoe Vale 0
Green Gully Reserve
Green Gully kept their finals chances alive with a hard fought win over Pascoe Vale. The Cavaliers were by far the better side and would be disappointed not to win by more but will take the three points none the less.

A goal almost on the hour ny Brent Fisher was enough on the day. Pascoe Vale are now certainly out of the finals race but will be moderately happy with how their first season in the VPL has gone.

Pascoe Vale have a very winnable game next round at home to Southern Stars while Green Gully travel the short distance to Sommers Street to take on Melbourne Knights in a game you won't want to miss.

Northcote City 1 Catalano (22')
Richmond 1 Armenian (73')
John Cain Memorial Park
Northcote City looked untouchable only a month ago but have not managed to find a win in their past four games bringing them right back into the chasing pack. After taking a lead against a Richmond side who have only collected six points for the season it should have been one way traffic from there. Richmond to their credit hit back with just over 15 minutes left and were able to hang on for a stunning draw. A home game against the Sharks is Northcote's next opportunity to get back on track, Richmond host the unpredictable South Melbourne.

South Melbourne 6 (Epifano 1’ 86’ Rixon 6’ 53’ Bran 9’ Norton 79’)
Dandenong Thunder 2 (Frazier 19’ Rexhepi 25’ [pen])
Lakeside Stadium
In his first match against his old side Chris Taylor could not have planned his first match against Dandenong any better. Six goals, a dominating performance and three points was an astounding result only weeks after Taylor and five South players left Thunder.

South were three goals up within ten minutes but went into the sheds with a lead of just one goal. Coming out of the blocks in the second half the home team piled on three more to seal the deal.

Both sides have away matches next week as South travel to Richmond and Dandenong face Hume City.

POS	TEAM	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	Northcote City	15	10	4	1	38	9	29	34
2	Bentleigh Greens	15	7	7	1	25	12	13	28
3	Melbourne Knights	15	8	4	3	23	16	7	28
4	Hume City	15	9	1	5	24	28	-4	28
5	Port Melbourne Sharks	15	7	3	5	21	19	2	24
6	Green Gully Cavaliers	14	6	3	5	20	18	2	21
7	South Melbourne	15	6	3	6	27	27	0	21
8	Oakleigh Cannons	14	5	3	6	23	20	3	18
9	Dandenong Thunder	14	6	2	6	21	20	1	17
10	Pascoe Vale	15	3	4	8	12	19	-7	13
11	Richmond	14	1	3	10	19	34	-15	6
12	Southern Stars	15	0	3	12	10	41	-31	3

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QLD Wrap: Capital clubs fill finals frame

With four rounds remaining in the NPL Queensland, the four-team finals seem set to be occupied by Brisbane clubs.

Brisbane Strikers' come-from-behind triumph over Western Pride positions them well to nab fourth, while Olympic FC can potentially clinch the premiership in Round 19.


Brisbane City 3 (Bird 18' Murray p.42' Pase 59')
QAS 0

Brisbane City sustained the premiership pressure on Olympic FC with a simple 3-0 victory over the Queensland Academy of Sport at Spencer Park on Friday night.

City can afford no slip-ups if they want the league-leaders to squirm in their title hunt and the Academy offered little resistance.

The hosts' first of three came in the 18th minute when QAS 'keeper Fraser Chalmers was unable to claim a high ball, turned with ease by Nathan Bird.

Striker Antonio Murray, who would later score a double on trial in a Brisbane Roar pre-season friendly, converted City's second from the penalty spot after a clear handball, while the scoring was completed in the 59th minute as a pair of defensive mistakes from the visitors resulted in Alistair Pase finishing from close-range.

City are eleven points adrift of Olympic but they do hold a match in hand, while the win nudged them three points clear of third-placed Redlands.

Sam Knight scores for Sunshine. Next he'll be scoring for rainbows, the softy.

Northern Fury 0
Sunshine Coast FC 2 (Knight 58' Henslee 69')

Sunshine Coast remain well in the fight for finals following a tough 2-0 away win over Northern Fury on Saturday night, seeing off the hosts with two second-half goals.

Goals from defenders Sam Knight and Greg Henslee sealed victory after the pair helped repel a series of Fury raids in the opening stanza; the first coming in the 58th minute when Knight got forward and in behind the home defence, followed-up eleven minutes later by Greg Henslee's deflected back-post shot.

Six points separated the teams in fourth and seventh prior to kick-off and that gap has now been widened to nine, effectively ending the finals hopes of Northern Fury.

Sunshine Coast next host Redlands in a match which could define their own chances of finishing inside the top four.

Brisbane Strikers 3 (McVey 29' Coulson 45+1' King 63')
Western Pride 2 (Drager 9' 18')

Three goals in 34 minutes shifted Brisbane Strikers' finals aspirations from shaky to sound on Saturday night as they overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat Western Pride at Perry Park.

Two high quality goals from in-form Pride spearhead Peter Drager initially set the Ipswich club on the way to a third consecutive upset win, following impressive defeats of Redlands and City, until the home side fought back in the second half of the opening 45.

Josh McVey set Strikers' wheels in motion with a superb finish off the underside of the crossbar on the half hour, setting the platform for Scott Coulson's tap-in equaliser in first-half stoppage time - to the chagrin of the visitors, who claimed offside.

That momentum was seized by Brisbane Strikers in the 63rd minute as winger Greg King reacted to a blocked clearance to drive his side into an ultimately match-winning 3-2 lead.

FNQ FC Heat 0
Moreton Bay Jets 2 (OG 53' Zappone 67')

Moreton Bay won their eighth NPL Queensland match on Saturday night away to FNQ Heat in Mareeba, outweighing their seven losses of a debut season.

Both goals for the Jets came in the second half thanks to an over-hit back-pass causing the hosts to find their own net, added to later by Matthew Zappone's sharp goal sense to get in behind and finished with tidily.

The result means Moreton Bay remain a slim chance for finals, while Far North Queensland seem destined to occupy tenth at season's end.

Olympic FC 7 (McLean 3', 57' Smits 29' Byrne 34' Mundy 48' Psaros 79' Spirko 90+1')
CQFC Energy 0

Olympic FC are potentially one match away from clinching the inaugural NPL Queensland premiership after easily accounting for CQFC Energy at Goodwin Park on Sunday.

Jake McLean stood up in the absence of regular midfield allies to marginally miss out on a hattrick in the one-sided affair while further goals came from former Brisbane Roar pair Tim Smits and Matt Mundy, captain Danny Byrne and youngsters Costa Psaros and Robert Spirko.

Smits leads Brisbane City's Antonio Murray by one in the goalscoring charts and will figure prominently in Olympic's quest to seal the title in Townsville this weekend.

If City drop points in their match away to Palm Beach, which kicks-off thirty minutes in advance, Olympic can assume an unassailable lead with victory over Northern Fury.

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Gerrard goal and Suarez assist leaves punters happy

Melbourne Victory have stunned Liverpool with a 2-0 loss to the traveling away side. The narrow win for Liverpool will have scousers scratching their Liverpudlian heads as to why a lowly A-League side could possibly hold their club to a two goal margin. Well, it was only a friendly. 

A Steven Gerrard counter attack was the difference between the two sides in the first half, the Liverpool captain finishing with signature power - a low drive to the right to which Victory 'keeper Nathan Coe could do little about. Gerrard was subbed off in the 62nd minute to rapturous hand to hand movements and thunderous vocal sounds from the 95446 present.

An unhappy looking Luis Suarez set up Aspas in the 93rd minute to gift Liverpool a more respectable goal margin.

How any A-League side this season will score against this Victory defense is beyond me. Leijer, Ansell, Geria and Galloway dealt with Liverpool's advances better than Mel McLaughlin handles Robbie Slater.

Andrew Dukes-Nabbout-kem had an opportunity to put Victory in front prior to Gerrard's individual brilliance, nutmegging Enrique and shooting bottom corner, only to be denied by Liverpool's Aussie 'keeper Brad Jones.

Liverpool in the 71st minute substituted their entire team, with Suarez the highlight for fans. It took the 11-man changing of the guard 15 minutes to gel, and by that time the game was almost at a close.
Look we all know Liverpool aren't as good as Manchester United. But I guess we did think they should be better than what was effectively a Melbourne Victory youth squad. Turns out we were wrong.

Two nil the final score, and Melbourne Victory leave the MCG with their heads held high.

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BPL Wrap: A very red round seventeen

Wins for the top two stood out from Round 17 – plagued by red cards and two postponed matches. Elsewhere Easts kept up their pursuit of a top four spot in a dramatic come-from-behind win, while Ipswich and UQ shared the spoils .  

Wolves FC   7:1   Logan Lightning    

Wolves FC thumped Logan Lightning to maintain their free-scoring form ahead of the finals and momentarily go top of the table on goal difference.    

Everyone will be talking about…

The tally that keeps rapidly climbing – Wolves have now scored 71 goals in just 16 outings.

       

Yeah, but what happened?

Logan were never really into this one, although they held Wolves scoreless for the opening half hour. Nevertheless, the home side went rampant after that, with Kado Aoci and Drew Jeskey bagging two quick goals before the break. Chris Knowles made the result safe shortly after the restart, although Phillip Ranadal pulled one back on the hour for the visitors. James Richards bagged Wolves’ fourth moments later and Logan added to their own misery with an own goal – moments after Rashee Olisa received his marching orders. Aoci completed his brace late on and there was still time for Alex Janovsky to get on the scoresheet in extra time.      

The numbers:

Wolves – Aoci ’31, ’84; Jeskey ’37; Knowles ’47; Richards ’62; O.G. ’70; Janovsky ‘90

Logan – Randal ’59

Looking ahead...

Wolves are sailing their way to finals football and the smooth ride should continue when they travel to Brisbane Force next week. Logan should put in a better show than this away to UQ.

Eastern Suburbs   2:1   Brisbane Force    

Ten-men Easts stunned Brisbane Force with a miraculous second-half comeback thanks to a Ryan Stenhouse double.  

Everyone will be talking about…

Easts’ recovery following Yoshimazu Okada’s sending off shortly into the second half.        

Yeah, but what happened?

Force took an unexpected first half lead through Lachlan Munn against a much-fancied Easts side pushing to break into the top four. The hosts were in deep troule when Okada was shown red ten minutes after the restart, but it was just the wake-up call they needed. The Tigers rallied back, first winning a penalty converted by Stenhouse. The prolific frontman then grabbed a dramatic match-winner four minutes later to save his side from dropping out of finals contention.                    

The numbers:

Easts – Stenhouse ‘75(p), ‘79

Force – Munn ‘27

Looking ahead...

Easts have a crucial clash against third-placed Power next weekend, while a disappointed Force must try and improve defensively to be a chance of snatching a result when Wolves visit CJ Greenfield Reserve.  

Ipswich Knights   1:1   UQ FC 

A late Igor Sao Jose strike salvaged a point for Ipswich against a much improved UQ side who pick up their first draw of the season.

Everyone will be talking about…

UQ’s improvement. After recording their first win, UQ have looked a match for most sides they have come across – almost nearly snatching another dramatic victory in this encounter.     

Yeah, but what happened?

UQ again displayed a new-found vigour in their play – firing out for the blocks and into a 9^th minute lead thanks to Stephen Torbey. The students showed great resilience in the back four to hold off wave after wave of Ipswich attacks, but the constant pressure finally told – Sao Jose levelling the scores with eight minutes to play.                                        

The numbers:

Ipswich – Sao Jose ‘82

UQ – Torbey ‘9 

Looking ahead...

Both sides enjoy home comforts next round, with Ipswich entertaining league leaders Lions, while UQ welcome Logan.        

Lions FC   1:0   Albany Creek 

Shoheel Khan proved to be the match winner for Lions once again – his strike on the hour mark secured a vital three points that keeps them top of the table.

Everyone will be talking about…

Lions, yet again, getting the job done and keeping their cool as they close out the home and away season still on top.        

Yeah, but what happened?

Coming up against a much-improved Albany Creek side, Graham Ross’ men would have been wary of complacency as they tried to regain top spot after Wolves’ big Friday night win. Creek defended for all their worth, but ultimately fell just short – not aided by the fact they went down to ten men early in the second half. Khan stepped up to the plate yet again to secure what could be a vital three points in the race for the Minor Premiership.                                        

The numbers:

Lions – Khan ‘61

Looking ahead...

Lions know they cannot afford a slip-up with rampant Wolves on their tail – their trip to Ipswich next weekend shapes up as a crucial encounter. Albany Creek are back among the strugglers and will be looking to avoid another lengthy losing streak when they host Rochedale.     

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