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Brisbane Strikers also continued their good form while Sunshine Coast FC overcame a fellow finals aspirant.
Brisbane Strikers 2 (Henderson 57' Richter 73')
QAS 0
Brisbane Strikers shuffled above Redlands and into fourth on Thursday night with a two-goal second half helping them overcome the QAS at Perry Park.
Goals from central-defender Alex Henderson and winger Jonti Richter did the job for Strikers, who remained fourth by a point at the round's conclusion thanks to Redlands' defeat on the Sunshine Coast.
The QAS' only victory of the season had come in a 2-1 win over Strikers back in Round 8, but that remains the high point of their season to date as they prepare to tackle FNQ in Cairns next round.
Strikers, meanwhile, will look to move above third-placed Sunshine Coast in their hosting of Palm Beach.
Palm Beach Sharks 0
Brisbane City 2 (OG 14' Bird 90+4')
Brisbane City applied real title pressure to league-leaders Olympic on Saturday evening with a commendable 2-0 win over Palm Beach at the Mallawa Complex.
Anything other than victory would have put Olympic just three points away from sealing the title, but second-placed City got the job done thanks to an early Sharks own goal and Nathan Bird's stoppage-time sealer.
The opener came when Palm Beach's Nick Hulme turned in Antonio Murray's threatening ball across goal at the near post, seeing the visitors ahead at the end of a half in which Sharks 'keeper Ryan Meskell appeared fortunate to avoid red after handling outside the penalty area.
Both teams had good chances to score after the break, notably when Jarrod Kyle was denied by a series of City blocks inside the area, but the match wasn't decided until the visitors broke free for Bird to get on the end of a counter-attack in the final act of the match.
The result means Glen Volker's City now trail in the premiership race by eight points, holding a match in hand over Olympic FC.
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| Gareth Edds, a Big Brother fan, doing what we would loosely term 'celebrating'. Credit: Football Queensland. |
Northern Fury 6 (Edds 17', p.41', 43' 57' Eisenhut 20' Kelly 51')
Olympic FC 3 (Smits 23' Howell 56' Ingham 77')
Northern Fury fans were treated to four of the very best from player/coach Gareth Edds on Saturday night as the local favourite led his side to an incredible 6-3 win over Olympic FC in Townsville.
The league-leading visitors, trailing 2-1 after 40 minutes, had 'keeper Matt Lugo dismissed for a last-man challenge and were unable to recover, with talisman Edds sinking a first-half hattrick.
It was the former A-League player who got Fury's special night underway with a precise left-footed finish inside Lugo's near post in the 17th minute, but after Michael Eisenhut extended the advantage, Tim Smits responded for Olympic by bringing down and finishing Daniel Crack's back-post cross.
The comeback was soon cut short, however, as Lugo's sending off meant both a debut for 16-year-old Brandon Cuminao and Edds' second from the spot, added to a couple of minutes later with his third.
The two teams shared a further four in the second half and although ten-man Olympic broke even beyond the break, they may now have to win two of their remaining three matches should City complete a perfect run home.
FNQ FC Heat 2 (Morrison 25' Carroll p.47')
Western Pride 2 (OG 19' Rule 42')
Far North Queensland let slip a chance to move higher on the NPL ladder with a 2-2 home draw against Western Pride on Saturday night.
FNQ twice came from behind to equalise at Borzi Park but were unable to transfer their goals into matchwinning momentum in the 10th vs. 8th fixture.
Western Pride will likewise be irritated with their inability to safeguard a pair of leads and have now fallen eight points behind the seventh-placed Fury, their recent scaling of the ladder now halted by a single point from two matches.
Heat next entertain the QAS, while Pride again head north to Rockhampton.
Moreton Bay Jets 5 (Brownlie 6', 16' Kaimarama 20' Scheumack 44' OG 45+1')
CQFC Energy 4 (Jansen 10' Miller 37' Crowley 56' Waterland 65')
Moreton Bay prevailed in an epic 5-4 battle with lowly CQFC Energy on Saturday night, scoring all of their goals in the first-half at Wolter Park.
The Jets, who remain a mathematical chance of finals, led 5-2 at the break but almost blew their commanding lead as Central Queensland fought back to lose by a single goal.
The match featured nine different scorers, one of which was an own goal, while Moreton Bay led the match for the final time from the 16th minute but were forced to survive 25 minutes without conceding as Braedyn Crowley and Sander Waterland narrowed the marging for the visiting Energy.
Moreton Bay will most likely need to win a minimum of three matches and enjoy favourable results from the teams above if they to snatch a top four spot.
Sunshine Coast FC 1 (Bechar 10')
Redlands United 0
Sunshine Coast nabbed a vital three points at home on Sunday as creative Frenchman Nico Bechar edged Fire to a 1-0 win over Redlands United.
The hosts trailed the Devils by a point leading into the encounter and, having played a match more than their guests, knew victory was crucial to the prosperity of their finals chances.
Bechar gave the multiple QSL champions the start they desired in the 10th minute, found in behind the Redlands defence and lifting a finish clinically over 'keeper Mitch O'Brien.
The league's tightest defence held firm for the remaining eighty minutes to see Sunshine Coast two points clear of the fifth-placed Devil and one ahead of Brisbane Strikers, though their rivals retain one and two matches in hand respectively.