The Sunshine Coast Fire have reclaimed top spot on the HQSL ladder, after a strong second half propelled them to a 5-0 win over the Capricorn Cougars at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
A brace from Shaun Blackman, as well as singles from Tyson Holmes, Gareth Musson and Greig Henslee secured a two point competition lead for the Fire, who face a tough trip north to take on the in-form Whitsunday Miners next week.
The Fire had a stranglehold on possession from the opening whistle, dominating territory over the depleted Cougars side. It took only minutes for the Fire to hit the back of the net when Musson latched onto a parried shot and knocked the ball home, but the flag was up for offside.
Not long after, the Fire managed their first goal of the match through Shaun Blackman. An accurate cross from Jason Hicks on the left wing found Blackman six yards out, who netted with a well-placed header to set the Fire on their way.
Some of the sting went out of the Sunshine Coast attack following the first goal, as Capricorn began to find some possession but lacked the polish to mount a serious attack on the Fire’s goal. Hayden Hearne was muscled off the ball by James Stinson in a rare move forward for the Cougars.
As the first half progressed the Sunshine Coast continued to control the midfield battle, but seemed to lack a bit of communication in the attacking third. The Cougars were competing well in their own right, with Hearne launching a drive from 20 yards that Antony Hall did well to block.
Soon after, Sam Knight worked well down the left flank for the Fire, racing to the byline before slipping a pass to Musson with his back to goal. He turned and shot first time, but his left-footed shot hit the right post. Dylan Roberts followed up with a shot from outside the penalty area that flew wide.
With half-time looming and the Fire only a goal to the good, Capricorn began to win some ball in midfield. Defender Troy Ruthven attempted to catch Antony Hall off his line with a chipped shot from 20 yards, but the keeper was alive to the danger.
After the half-time break, Richard Hudson looked to shuffle the deck by bringing on Leon Dwyer and Alex Henderson for Jason Hicks and Judd Molea. In the opening exchanges of the second half, the Fire were competing with more urgency and were soon rewarded on the scoreboard.
A lucky deflection from a though ball fell nicely for Tyson Holmes, who raced in on goal one-on-one with Cougars keeper Tim English. Holmes stepped past English but was brought to ground inside the penalty area, and the referee wasted no time blowing the whistle for a penalty. English was awarded a yellow card, and Holmes stepped up to convert his penalty, beating the keeper with a powerful shot to his left.
With a two goal lead secured, the Fire looked more comfortable on the ball and were beginning to gel in attack. Blackman added his second goal of the game on 55 minutes with a well-struck finish, as he ran onto a through ball and squeezed a shot inside the left upright.
With the result all but secure at 3-0, the Sunshine Coast could smell blood and looked to add to their tally. On 61 minutes, the floodgates were well and truly opened when Musson continued his scoring form for the Fire’s fourth. Holmes dispossessed a Cougars player before racing into the penalty area, leaving Musson completely unmarked to his left. After receiving the ball, Musson settled before burying the shot to put the result beyond any doubt.
It was 5-0 after 65 minutes when a far post cross from Holmes was headed home at an acute angle by Greig Henslee.
With both teams looking content to run off the clock, Patrick Grice almost nicked a consolation goal for the Cougars, but Henslee cleared his shot off the line with Hall beaten.
As injury time approached and with the Fire controlling the tempo, Aaron Brazendale raced Cougars keeper English to a loose ball, but his desperate chip was too heavy and went well over the bar.
The final whistle sounded for a comprehensive 5-0 victory to the Fire, who overcame a listless first half to cruise home in the second stanza.
Captain Tyson Holmes was pleased to see his side regain top spot, but acknowledged that the side needs to be ruthless from the opening whistle.
“It was a game of two halves really, the first half we were sluggish, but in the second half we came out and got a few early goals and kept the pressure up, and it was a good result in the end. There was little bit of lack of communication today, everyone was trying to do a bit too much rather than concentrating on their own job.”
With three games left to decide the HQSL Premiers, next week’s away clash with the Whitsunday Miners is a must-win. The Miners pushed the Fire to the brink the last time they met, and have gone from strength to strength this season. Kickoff for the Round 17 clash is set for 7pm on Saturday July 16 at Harrup Park.
FINAL SCORE: Sunshine Coast FC – 5 (Blackman, 7, 55, Holmes (pen), 50, Musson, 60, Henslee, 65)
Capricorn Cougars – 0
LINEUP: Hall, Knight, Smith, Henslee, Stinson, Hicks (Dwyer, 45), Roberts, Holmes, Molea (Henderson, 45), Musson, Blackman (Brazendale, 60).
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