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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 17th 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 |
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.
