Joyous Scenes As Rovers Knock Out Jets
Rochedale Rovers 2 (Cheshire 87’, 90+3') Moreton Bay Utd (Farina 9’)
Halftime: 0-1
Played at: Underwood Park
Greg Cheshire sent the vocal crowd into a frenzy with two late goals as Rochedale Rovers completed a fully deserved 2-1 win over Moreton Bay United at Underwood Park, sending them through to the final Westfield FFA Cup qualifying game against Redlands United.
Jordan Farina scored in the tenth minute and it looked as if the PlayStation4 National Premier Leagues side could put the game away before half time with three great chances in the first twenty minutes.
It took a long time for the scorers to be troubled again, both times by Cheshire who picked up the scraps from set-pieces and barrelled home two strikes which will stay long in the memory of the Rovers faithful.
Anything less than a home win would have been a travesty because there was only one team in the contest for an hour. Cheshire and Scott Sargent, who had his best game of the season so far, both nearly scored in the first half but the Jets clung on defiantly.
Paul Mooney, returning from injury, was sublime in the centre of the park; constantly setting up Phil Davies on the left side who caused all manner of trouble for his opposing numbers. Intricate passing was the order of the day as Rochedale dominated possession and all the major statistics.
The whole squad gave 100% and by the 70th minute mark the Jets were chasing shadows, struggling to get out of their half and turning the ball over every time they managed to get hold of it.Needing a goal.
Coach Scott MacNicol replaced Seiji Shizuno with Ryan Faichnie into a three man backline and pushed Davies onto the right wing which ultimately saw the UK import indirectly responsible for both goals.
Daryll Grant also came into his own with some excellent defending when it really mattered.Only a deliberate and unlikely attempt to soak up pressure when leading by a goal can explain the tactics employed by United who looked for all money like a 1980s outfit belting the ball long for their speedy forwards to chase. Their only real chance of the second half came when Farina ran 80 metres in possession from box to box but still got run down.
Ultimately, if Scott Stewart and Jacob Mitchell hadn’t played so well in the centre of defence, Rovers could have been out of sight a long time before they eventually were.
With Lions FC and Strikers both up against Capital League opposition on Wednesday night, the scene is set for two Flight Centre Premier League vs PlayStation4 National Premier Leagues battles with everything on the line. It’s almost like having two cup finals in the same season.
The date for the massive game against Redlands, which will be at Cleveland Showgrounds, has yet to be confirmed but there is sure to be a huge amount of travelling support.
How Davies can play that well and not get player of the match is ridiculous. FB Media Player Of The Match: Paul MOONEY (Rochedale Rovers)
Despite carrying an injury, Mooney steered his side around the park like a captain steering an ocean liner. HIs delicate interplay was inspirational to all the players around him and pin point passing awe inspiring.
Team line-ups
Rovers: Cuminao, Davies, Howell, Ngata, Grant, Sargent, Mooney, Shizuno, Cameron, Cheshire, Mojica-Rodriguez. Subs: Wilson, Faichnie, Gore, Jakupovic, Floyd.
MBU: Atkins, Schultz, Mitchell, Stewart, Kelly, Byrne, Janovsky, Capelo, Hall, Beakhurst, Farina. Subs: Masuda, Dickinson, Fulluck, Ishikura, Kalos.
Referee: Matt Skinner
