W-League: Butt special earns Brisbane win

A second-half stunner from Tameka Butt earned Brisbane Roar a 3-2 W-League win over Western Sydney Wanderers on Friday afternoon to close the gap between the Roar and the top two.

The winner followed both Heather Garriock's sending off and a four-goal opening half of a Suncorp Stadium double-header.

Hayley Raso wasted a great opportunity for Brisbane to begin the match in the best possible fashion, unable to beat Western Sydney keeper Dimitra Poulos in a one-on-one.

The hosts were made to pay for that miss in just the eighth minute as the visitors grabbed an early opener, with Shawna Gorden powering in a header from Heather Garriock's curling cross.

When Laura Alleway then headed Elise Kellond-Knight's set-piece delivery onto the upright it seemed a theme of Roar misery had been set, but in the 18th minute they were level.

Teigen Allen made a crucial error allowing Raso to pounce and feed Crummer. The tall striker kept calm to edge past Poulos and slide her finish into an empty net to make it 1-1.

Soon enough it was 2-1 when Tameka Butt did exceptionally well to slice through the midfield and slip Raso behind the defence and the pint-sized attacker finished clinically inside the near post.

Minutes later Kellond-Knight crashed a long-range effort onto the crossbar and Brisbane had seized full momentum after falling behind early.

But, when it seemed the home side had set themselves up to run away with the second half, they switched off at a crucial time, allowing Michelle Carney space to head home from a Wanderers corner in first half stoppage time to level it at 2-2 at the break.

There was little action in the first 30 minutes of the second stanza until Western Sydney veteran Heather Garriock was dismissed for a second yellow, allowing the Roar to seize the initiative.

The numerical advantage made little difference to Butt's 82nd minute goal, though, as the Matildas star put her side 3-2 ahead via a brilliant turn-and-volley from inside the penalty area.

Emily Gielnik had the simplest of opportunities to make the game safe for Brisbane in the 85th minute when fellow substitute Joanne Burgess found acres on the overlap and slid a pass across goal, but the striker skied her finish over the crossbar from a matter of inches.

Jenna Kingsley could well have equalised in the final seconds of regular time when the ball dropped for her over the Brisbane back four, only to volley over the crossbar.

That was the final look the visitors had as Brisbane moves, at least temporarily, within a point of the top two.



Brisbane Roar: 1. Nadine ANGERER (gk), 11. Vedrana POPOVIC, 2. Laura ALLEWAY, 7. Kim CARROLL, 5. Brooke SPENCE, 4. Clare POLKINGHORNE, 8. Elise KELLOND-KNIGHT, 13. Tameka BUTT, 10. Katrina GORRY, 16. Hayley RASO, 9. Larissa CRUMMER.

Bench: 20. Kate STEWART, 6. Joanne BURGESS, 19. Ayesha NORRIE, 17. Emily GIELNIK.


Western Sydney: 20. Dimitra POULOS, 2. Caitlin COOPER, 3. Shawna GORDON, 5. Emily VAN EGMOND, 7. Heather GARRIOCK, 10. Servet UZUNLAR, 11. Michelle CARNEY, 13. Catherine CANNULI, 14. Alanna KENNEDY, 15. Teigen ALLEN, 16. Linda O'NEILL.

Bench: Mackenzie ARNOLD (gk), 12. Jessica SEAMAN, 18. Helen PETINOS, 9. Jenna KINGSLEY.