Lions and Rovers Fall At Final Hurdle

Jun 6, 2016
2 min read

Brisbane Strikers became the second and final qualifier from the Brisbane Zone of the Westfield FFA Cup when a single headed goal from Rhys Meredith was enough to take a crucial 1-0 victory over Lions FC on a blustery Sunday evening at Lions Stadium. A tight game was predicted and eventuated as both teams struggled to create meaningful opportunities but the best of those, a missed open goal and a stinging shot from Trent Clulow which struck the post, were created by the away team. Lions may be leading the Flight Centre Premier League by a decent margin but ultimately they have struggled to maintain consistency within the squad with six players having since departed from the team which took to the field the last time these two clubs met in the pre-season BLK Silver Boot final. And things got even worse with Peter Gaffney and Tynan Diaz both replaced through injury during the second half of the tie. The depth at Richlands is getting shallower and they will be tested on the run in to the finals but they had some excellent performers tonight, in particular Marco Jankovic and Ajdin Fetahagic who were tight and also pushed forward regularly. But the Strikers ran out winners and owe a huge debt to their own central defensive pairing of Jake Marshall and Greig Henslee who were superb. The lack of genuine chances to score for Lions can be traced directly back to their solidity, especially in the air, shutting out the home side for the first time in the competition.

On Friday evening, Redlands United confirmed their debut in the Round of 32 and a possible game against A-League opposition with a come from behind 2-1 win over Rochedale Rovers in torrential rain at Cleveland Showgrounds. Rochedale revealed new signing, former Brisbane Roar striker Jean Carlos Solózano, during the warm up, and they started well with Solózano setting up Scott Sargent with the opener as the visitors were good value for their halftime lead. But after the break, the Red Devils came back into the contest and when Matt Chandler introduced Igor Sao Jose and Graham Fyfe, both former Gold Medal winners returning from injury, the game swung in their favour. Two goals from Fyfe, the first within 2 minutes of his introduction, decided the contest although some late Rovers pressure made things very nervy for the home team. The Westfield FFA Cup continues to be a huge success with impressive crowds turning up despite the inclement weather conditions at both games. Congratulations go out to all at Perry Park and Cleveland Showgrounds from all here at FB Media as we wish the two Brisbane sides a good run in the national rounds.