Round 7 Preview - Fire v Capricorn Cougars

The Easter break has been an eventful fortnight for the Queensland State League, with the shock news that new club Southern Cross United will be dropping out of the league, effective immediately.

Financial problems have been cited as a contributing factor to the Brisbane club’s collapse, with many local businesses making sponsorship promises that could not be fulfilled due to the floods early this year.

United are hopeful of recovering and re-entering the league in 2012, while the club’s Under-19 team will continue to compete in the HQSYL this year.

Meanwhile, the Fire will be hopeful that their fortnight off has not slowed the momentum that is building around the club. With a four point competition lead, the Fire head north to Rockhampton to take on the struggling Capricorn Cougars on Saturday evening.

With only a single point from five fixtures, the Cougars faced a selection crisis in their last match against the FNQ Bulls with only 13 players available for the fixture. Capricorn also possesses the worst defensive record in the QSL, conceding 17 times in five starts. Against the free-scoring Fire, the Cougars will need to be on their guard early.

In contrast, the Fire have conceded a miserly two goals from six fixtures, an outstanding effort from a side that boasts plenty of talent and experienced heads in defence. Despite this record, the Sunshine Coast will be aware that their last road trip north ended in a disappointing 1-1 draw against the FNQ Bulls in Mareeba. The Fire were slow out of the blocks in that match, and will be looking to be on their game from the opening minutes against Capricorn.

Kick-off for the Round 7 clash is set for 7pm on Saturday April 30, at Jardine Park in Rockhampton.

As for the Fire’s youth teams, the Sunshine Coast Under-19s will be confident of extending their four match winning run when they travel to Toowoomba on Saturday to take on the South West Queensland 19s. The Fire have shown great discipline and determination to grind out four consecutive wins, several times coming from behind to grab the points.

The Gympie Fire are also in action on Saturday, taking on the SC Zone 16s at home. With a fortnight to prepare, Gympie will be confident of securing a richly deserved first win as the team continues to improve week-by-week.

Kick-off for the Sunshine Coast Under-19s game is set for 5pm on Saturday April 30, at West Wanderers Ground in Toowoomba. The Gympie Fire kick off at 3pm on Saturday, and will be at home on the One Mile Ovals in Gympie.

Round 6 Senior Match Report - Fire v Gold Coast Stars

The Sunshine Coast Fire returned to the QSL winner’s list on Sunday afternoon, dispatching the Gold Coast Stars 3-0 in Kawana.

First-half goals from Alex Henderson and Sam Knight and a second-half sealer from Tyson Holmes helped the Fire to their fifth win of their season.

After being slow out of the blocks against FNQ last week, the Fire looked lively in the opening minutes on the rain-damaged pitch. The Gold Coast Stars were also keen in the opening exchanges, with Anthony Hagan whipping in an early cross that cleared the heads of his teammates in one of the team’s first moves forward.

With possession hard to maintain in the difficult conditions, the best chance of the match for the Sunshine Coast came on 14 minutes, when Leon Dwyer chipped a ball toward Holmes at the far post, but Gold Coast keeper David Chambers was on hand to avert the danger.

As the sides settled into their rhythm, the two defences were clearly on top. With the two sides playing out a scoreless draw during the pre-season, it was unclear where the goals were going to come from this time around.

That question was answered on 19 minutes, when Holmes rode a challenge as he dribbled through the centre of the Stars’ defence, before shooting from close range. Chambers did well to parry the shot, but Alex Henderson was well-placed to drill the loose ball into the net for a 1-0 Fire lead.

Spurred on by the unexpected advantage, the Sunshine Coast had the better of the following minutes with Jason Hicks having a shot cleared off the line by John Costello, and Shaun Blackman missing the target under pressure minutes later.

Hicks went agonisingly close to doubling the score on 26 minutes, when he was released in acres of space 30 yards out. He steamed into the penalty area, settled on his preferred left-foot and cannoned a shot into the far post with the goal at his mercy.

With the Gold Coast lucky not to be two goals down, the visitors continued to press in the middle of the park and were imposing themselves physically wherever possible. However, at the other end the Fire were beginning to find their range in attack.

On 33 minutes, Blackman and Dwyer strung together some neat passes before Dwyer moved into the penalty area. With the Stars’ defenders forced out of position, Dwyer played a ball across the face of goal for a sprinting Sam Knight to smash home. 

Two goals down and nearing half-time, the Gold Coast needed a spark to get back into the contest. John Costello prodded a shot over the bar following a short corner, and minutes later a shot from the right flank was forced wide of the near post.

On the stroke of half-time, Hicks again broke away from the defence and moved in on the Gold Coast goal. Hounded by two defenders, Hicks steadied on 18 yards and looped a shot towards the top corner, but keeper Chambers did well to claw the ball away to safety.

The contest entered another gear after the half-time break, with the Stars desperate to get back into the game and the Fire needing another goal to kill off the contest. It didn’t take long for that third to come, as a quick chain of passes between Dylan Roberts, Jason Hicks and Tyson Holmes culminated in the captain earning a one-on-one opportunity which he converted with ease, sliding the ball past Chambers into the bottom corner.

The Stars were showing signs of frustration after going 3-0 down, but couldn’t find an avenue to goal through the Fire’s defence, meaning Antony Hall was having a quiet evening between the sticks.

As the second half wore on, a short free-kick was played down the left flank toward Sam Knight, who picked out Greig Henslee at the far-post with an accurate cross. Henslee rose well to meet the ball, but pulled the header to the left of goal.

With full-time approaching, Matt Hilton was pressured into shooting wide on the run for the Stars, and John Prugh was unlucky not to convert when he connected well with a volley. Although they had battled for the full 90 minutes, the Stars had no answer for the Fire’s attack with the home team finishing deserved 3-0 victors.

Fire coach Richard Hudson was relieved to see his team bounce back from last week’s disappointing showing.

“Last week we travelled a long way, and we used that as an excuse, but today we were a lot sharper. As long as we keep on creating chances like we did today, we are going to have games where we do score five or six goals, but we’re very pleased with the result today.”

With the QSL on an Easter break next weekend, the Fire has a fortnight off before travelling north to Rockhampton to take on the struggling Capricorn Cougars. The Round 7 match is set to kick-off at 7pm on Saturday April 30 at Jardine Park.

FINAL SCORE: Sunshine Coast FC – 3 (Henderson, 19, Knight, 33, Holmes, 58)

                      Gold Coast Stars - 0

Lineup

Hall, Henderson (Stinson, 45), Sato, Henslee, Smith, Dwyer, Roberts, Holmes, Knight (Verdin, 80), Hicks, Blackman (Molea, 65).

Round 6 Under-19 Match Report - Fire v Gold Coast Stars

A late flurry of goals has helped the Sunshine Coast Fire record a 3-1 victory over the Gold Coast Stars, the side’s fourth consecutive victory.

Behind 1-0 after 77 minutes, a late double from Josh Taylor and another from Kaine Frew was enough for the Fire to snatch victory on a heavy pitch in Kawana, in a game where the home side struggled to convert possession into goal-scoring opportunities for the bulk of the match.

The match kicked off with both sides eager to assert themselves early, but the waterlogged pitch was making possession difficult to maintain. The Fire had an early chance when Luke Lewis swung in an early cross from the right wing that just eluded Josh Taylor at the far post.

Although much of the play was camped in the Fire’s offensive half, the Gold Coast were largely untroubled in defence for much of the first half, and it was the visitors who nicked an opening goal on 26 minutes. With the Fire slow to move from defence, Tom Gladwins read the play well and stole possession, before moving into the penalty area and leaving Sam Nickolls with no chance from six yards.

With the Stars taking the lead in one of their first attacking moves, the Fire needed to win back control of the contest. Rhys Roberts forced a corner after his free-kick from 25 yards was deflected over the byline, and Taylor was unlucky not to force a save from Stars keeper Ryan Meskell when he connected with a header following the corner.

With half-time approaching and the Sunshine Coast rarely threatening in attack, Andy Gillen chipped a ball into the penalty area that was well blocked by the Stars defence.

The half-time whistle sounded with the Fire behind on the scoreboard and needing to maintain composure to get something out of the fixture. Minutes into the second half, Kota Shibahashi got on the end of a free-kick, but couldn’t get enough on the header to trouble the keeper. 

Soon after, Mitch Broom drove a low shot at Meskell from just outside the penalty area, but the keeper got down well to make the save and force a corner. Broom was again involved from the corner, almost scoring in spectacular fashion when his long distance shot with the outside of his boot nearly dipped under the crossbar.

Midway through the second period, and the Stars almost ended the contest when Brendan Harvey forced a save from Sam Nickolls.

With the clock continuing to tick and the Stars clinging resolutely to their 1-0 lead, the Fire turned to all-out attack to find an equalising goal, and on 77 minutes they were rewarded. Frew found himself in possession near the left byline, and beat several Stars players before picking out Taylor inside the six yard box. With the keeper taken out of the equation, Taylor prodded the ball into an empty net to level the scores and delight the home supporters.

After 80 minutes of frustrating football, the game suddenly started to open up for the Fire. Although the scoreboard was still tied up, the Sunshine Coast had all the momentum and all the running. With seven minutes of regular time remaining, Frew was released one-on-one 40 metres out from the Stars goal, and outpaced the defence to move in on goal, and calmly slip the ball past the despairing dive of the keeper for a 2-1 lead.

Jubilant to have saved the game, it was 3-1 soon after for the Sunshine Coast as Lewis timed a cross from the right wing that fell kindly for Taylor, who knocked in his second of the match from close range.

Rhys Roberts went close to a fourth just before full-time but the matched ended 3-1, and the Fire would surely have been delighted to escape with three points after being 15 minutes away from their first defeat of the season.

The Fire will now have a fortnight’s break before they take to the field in HQSYL again, when the side will look to continue their run of good results against the South West Queensland 19s. The Round 7 fixture will take place in Toowoomba on Saturday, April 30.

FINAL SCORE: Sunshine Coast FC – 3 (Taylor, 77, 87, Frew, 83)

                      Gold Coast Stars – 1 (Gladwins, 26)

Round 6 Preview - Sunshine Coast FC v Gold Coast Stars

With the Sunshine Coast Fire’s winning streak snapped at four games last weekend, the side will be looking for a return to winning ways against the Gold Coast Stars on Sunday afternoon.

Round 5 saw the Fire held to a 1-1 draw in an away trip to face the FNQ Bulls. At Borzi Park in Mareeba, the Fire were beaten out of the blocks by a hungry Bulls side desperate to get their first win on the board. With the home side controlling early possession, the Fire struggled to find their feet and were unable to create early chances. 

Despite the Bulls being well on top of the contest at half-time, the match remained scoreless. On 61 minutes it was David Ruiz who opened the scoring for FNQ, finishing well from distance to give the home side a sniff of a first victory for 2011.

As the Bulls poured forward looking for a second, the Sunshine Coast had a chance on the counter attack as Shaun Blackman set up substitute Judd Molea, who found the net from 18 yards and levelled the scores at 1-1. With the Fire still hopeful of snatching three points, Blackman and Tyson Holmes both had opportunities to steal the win but it wasn’t to be, with the Fire having to settle for a draw and their first dropped points of the season.

With his side suffering their first hitch in an otherwise excellent season, Richard Hudson was disappointed with the result but said the side will not prepare any differently for this weekend’s clash.

'We will be making the same preparations this week, straight back to our normal routine. We had a good training session last night, with lots of possession work - the boys look very keen to make amends on Sunday.

'Gold Coast are the only other side who haven’t lost a game, so a win is vital to us.'

Since drawing 2-2 with Bundaberg Spirit in their first QSL fixture in Round 3, the Stars have toughed out wins over finals-contenders North Queensland Razorbacks and Southern Cross United in recent rounds, and will be looking for another scalp on Sunday.

Kick-off for the Round Six fixture is set for 2pm on Sunday April 17, at Stockland Park’s Western Fields.

As for the Fire’s Under-19 sides, the Sunshine Coast and Gympie Fire got their first look at one another on the weekend, with the teams playing a friendly at Gympie. The Sunshine Coast side launched to a 4-0 lead at half-time, before an improved second half from Gympie ended the match in a 5-3 win for the Sunshine Coast.

It was the third consecutive win for the Sunshine Coast Under-19s, and another step in the progression of the Gympie Fire, who showed plenty of character to get back into the contest. Richard Hudson is sure the side will record their first win before long.

'It was a bit of a culture-shock for them when they first entered the State League, but each week has been a step in the right direction. As individuals and as a team they showed great character to get back into the match on the weekend.'

'They need to get that first win under their belt, and I know it’s just around the corner.'

The Gympie Fire have a bye this weekend, but the Sunshine Coast Under-19s will be taking on the Gold Coast Stars youth side on Sunday afternoon, and will be hopeful of stretching their winning streak to four games. Kick-off is set for 4pm at Stockland Park’s Western Fields.

Round 5 Preview

Four games into the 2011 HQSL season and the Sunshine Coast Fire have built an impressive winning streak, defeating all comers thus far to sit alone atop the ladder. This weekend, it will be the Far North Queensland Bulls gunning to knock the Fire off their perch as the team travels north to Mareeba on Saturday.

With Tyson Holmes netting five goals from midfield in the last three games and handy contributions from the club’s new recruits, the Fire are setting a cracking pace early in 2011. The side was impressive in opening up a three goal lead over Southern Cross United last weekend, but laboured in the latter stages of that match and will be looking for a more consistent 90 minutes against Far North Queensland on Saturday.

For the Bulls, their early season has been ravaged by weather and match postponements. The side are winless after four rounds in this season’s HQSL, with their first two fixtures washed out. They likely would have been behind the eight ball in terms of match fitness when they fronted up in Round 3, and suffered a 3-1 home loss to the Brisbane Strikers, followed by a 2-2 draw with the Queensland Academy of Sport in Round 4.

Although yet to open their account this season, FNQ on their home patch are a daunting prospect, with the 2010 finalists winning their first three matches at Borzi Park last season.

Kick-off for the match is set for 8pm on Saturday, April 9.

As for the Sunshine Coast Fire’s youth teams, this round will be an interesting one with the Under-19s meeting their Gympie Fire counterparts in a friendly at One Mile Oval.

The Under-19s have strung together back-to-back 4-2 victories over quality opposition in the last two weeks, accounting for QAS and Southern Cross United. The team has shown fighting spirit to come from behind in both those games, a quality that will surely have pleased new coach Paul Edwards.

As for the Gympie Fire, their introduction to the HQSYL has been something of a baptism of fire, with heavy losses to Southern Cross and Logan in the opening rounds. The side has shown great improvement since then, with Greg Plumb’s boys notching their first point of the season last week when they toughed out a 0-0 draw against the Gold Coast 19s.

Kick-off for the friendly match is set for 3pm on Saturday April 9, at One Mile Oval in Gympie.

Round 4 Senior Match Report - Fire v Southern Cross United

Four from four for the Sunshine Coast Fire, as the side recorded a comfortable 3-0 victory over new Brisbane side Southern Cross United on Sunday afternoon.

Two goals from Tyson Holmes and another from James Stinson lifted the Fire to an impressive victory, in an at times heated contest in Kawana.

With victories over the Brisbane Strikers, North Queensland Razorbacks, QAS and now Southern Cross, the Fire have effectively dealt with all challenges so far, and conceded just a single goal in the process. With a strong focus on attacking flair and some increased depth in defence, early signs are very positive for the Fire’s Premiership and Championship defence. 

On a heavy pitch in Kawana, both sides took some time to come to terms with the conditions. Southern Cross had proven their worth during pre-season, and looked organised in the opening minutes. Nathan Papez swung in a dangerous cross from the left wing, but no United player was on hand to rush the ball into the net.

Up the other end, the Fire looked threatening with their early chances and Tyson Holmes almost opened the scoring in spectacular fashion. After neat passing between Shaun Blackman and Dylan Roberts, Holmes found himself in possession 20 yards out and struck a sweet left-footed drive into the crossbar. Thomas Boland countered strongly for Southern Cross United, but Ryan Smith timed a slide-tackle well to deny a scoring opportunity.

With the game evenly poised midway through the first half, Southern Cross carved out a number of chances, with Seamus Sharkey having an accurate header plucked out of the top corner, and Julian Zullo forcing a quality save out of Antony Hall when he found space inside the penalty area.

For the Fire, Jason Hicks held possession well near the left byline, before passing to James Stinson in the penalty area who mishit a shot under pressure.

In an increasingly physical game, each side was winning their share of possession through midfield. With Southern Cross holding a high defensive line, Hicks managed to get in behind United’s defence and sped down the left wing. He raced to the byline and held the ball as he waited for support, before finding Holmes in space six yards out. The captain made no mistake, slotting the ball home off the leg of a defender for a 1-0 lead on 37 minutes.

The Fire had struck the lead at an opportune moment, and set about doubling the advantage before half-time. On 42 minutes, as Aaron Brazendale rushed to pounce on a loose ball in United’s penalty area, the referee pulled up a United player for rough conduct and pointed to the spot.

The decision took both sides by surprise, and granted the Fire a chance to land a heavy blow before half-time. Holmes made no mistake from the spot as he blasted past a helpless Matt Stein in goal for United, opening up a two goal lead at the break.

Although probably fortunate to be up by two at the break, the Fire continued to attack in the second stanza, and it wasn’t long before that lead was increased. After 50 minutes, tidy passing between Shaun Blackman and Leon Dwyer gave Holmes possession on the left wing. Holmes settled before picking out Stinson at the far post with a low cross, and Stinson made no mistake from six yards, knocking the ball into the net for an almost insurmountable 3-0 lead.

With the contest tipped strongly in the Fire’s favour, Southern Cross had the better of the next period, with much of the play camped in the Fire’s defensive half. The organisation of Greig Henslee and Takanori Sato in the heart of the Sunshine Coast defence prevented too many opportunities, although Julian Zullo was unlucky not to peg one back for United.

Forward Judd Molea was brought on for his first game for the Fire after 65 minutes, and almost had an immediate impact. Showing electric pace, Molea intercepted a defensive pass and shaped to shoot, before putting the ball over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

As full-time approached, Roberts picked out Hicks, who moved into the penalty and forced a good block out of Matt Stein, but in the end it was a 3-0 triumph for the Fire, and a six point QSL lead over the second-placed Brisbane Strikers, who have only played three games.

Coach Richard Hudson was pleased to come out on top in a rugged contest

“We knew we were in for a tough game today, they’ve (SCU) got some experienced players. I think the competition dictated the spectacle today, it probably wasn’t the best spectacle as a football game, but I think we stood up, we got goals, and they didn’t get in behind us too much, and in the end we got the three points.”

Next week will be the longest road-trip that the Fire face all season, as the boys make the tough trip north to Mareeba to take on the FNQ Bulls. With the Bulls suffering from early season delays and postponements due to wet weather, the Fire will be confident of stretching their winning streak to five games.

Kickoff for the Round Five clash is at 8pm on Saturday, April 9, at Borzi Park in Mareeba.

FINAL SCORE: Sunshine Coast FC – 3 (Holmes, 37, 42, Stinson, 50)

                      Southern Cross United - 0

Lineup

Hall, Stinson, Henslee, Sato, Smith (Henderson, 75), Dwyer, Roberts, Holmes, Brazendale (Knight, 45), Hicks, Blackman (Molea, 65).

Round 4 Under-19 Match Report - Fire v Southern Cross United

 

The Sunshine Coast Fire have overcome an early scare to see off Southern Cross United 4-2 and claim their second win of the season.

Two goals each from Josh Taylor and Andy Harrison secured a 4-2 victory for the Fire, who once again showed killer instinct in front of goal to net four times.

With the pitch showing signs of damage, both the Fire and Southern Cross were slow to find their range with passes in the opening minutes. After conceding early against QAS last week, the Fire would have been disappointed to suffer the same fate this week when Youssuf Sheriff beat Sam Nickolls with a quality shot after 10 minutes.

Despite going behind early, the Fire looked to maintain their composure and build patiently, and the side soon began to find their feet in the attacking third. Josh Taylor and Joe McMahon both had shots blocked by Southern Cross keeper Cody Christensen.

With the Sunshine Coast beginning to control possession, Mitch Broom made the keeper work with a well-struck drive from 20 yards, but to no avail.

With half an hour gone, the Fire found their equaliser when James Verdin broke well down the left flank, before moving along the byline and slipping a pass to Taylor, who lunged desperately to poke the ball home. 

With the game back on level pegging, a desperate call for handball inside the penalty area was turned down, as the Fire continued to press for the lead. The boys were having particular success on the right wing, with Rhys Roberts and Mitch Broom working hard to create chances. In central midfield, Andy Gillen and Nick Roth were looking to play the ball wide whenever possible.

On the brink of half-time, Kaine Frew went close to finding the lead but his curving shot off the outside of his boot dipped just over the crossbar.

The second half started with a scare for the Fire, as Southern Cross nearly netted seconds after the kick-off through Youssuf Sheriff, but Nickolls made a solid block to avert the danger. Michael Bone was the next to go close for the visitors, striking a volley wide of the target after a direct build-up.

The Fire looked to have a golden opportunity after 53 minutes when Frew was released one-on-one, but the flag was up for offside and the score remained 1-1.

As the second half wore on, the Fire seemed to have the edge in the midfield battle but couldn’t convert on the scoreboard. McMahon curled in a cross for Taylor, who mishit a volley well clear of the bar after 60 minutes. Rhys Roberts denied a scoring opportunity for Southern Cross United soon after, timing a slide-tackle well to dispossess the striker.

On 62 minutes, the Fire’s hard work paid off when Taylor ran onto a through-pass and slid a shot past Christensen into the bottom corner to give the side a 2-1 lead.

With the Sunshine Coast back in the driver’s seat, Rob McNicol went close to doubling the lead when he attempted to divert a shot past Christensen, but the keeper was up to the challenge.

The game was quickly slipping away for Southern Cross, who were pouring all their efforts into finding another goal. Innocent Tabun had an opportunity blocked by Nickolls, who rushed out to narrow the angle and make an important save.

With less than 20 minutes to go, the Fire doubled their advantage when three substitute players combined well. Beau Lyle picked out Brad Wallace from the left flank, hitting a low cross to Wallace who shaped to shoot from inside the penalty area. Wallace’s shot was blocked by Christensen, but Andy Harrison was on hand to crack home the rebound to give the Fire a 3-1 advantage on 72 minutes.

As the match drew closer to full-time, Southern Cross kept the contest alive after 76 minutes when substitute David Kai found the net for the visitors from close range.

With the Fire needing to show discipline to kill of the contest, holding possession became vital and passes were measured carefully. With the game in the balance, Andy Harrison made sure of the three points when he moved into the penalty area and struck truly under pressure, slipping the ball past the advancing keeper and into the net for a 4-2 lead.

Southern Cross kept trying in the closing minutes with Hayden Gay striking a powerful free-kick into the crossbar in injury time, but the Fire held on to be worthy victors in a quality contest.

Next week, the Fire will meet their Gympie counterparts in a friendly at One Mile Oval. The Gympie Fire claimed their first point of the season on the weekend, when they played out a scoreless draw with the Gold Coast 19s. This weekend’s clash will be a good indicator of how the team is progressing. Kickoff for the match is currently set for 3pm, on Saturday April 9.

FINAL SCORE: Sunshine Coast Fire  - 4 (Taylor, 29, 62, Harrison, 72, 81)

                     Southern Cross United - 2 (Sheriff, 10, Kai, 76)