Second Half Peninsula Sink Rovers
- Phil Davis l Photos: Kylie Wells
- Jun 11, 2016
- 3 min read
Peninsula Power 1 (Austen 78’) Rochedale Rovers 0 HT 0-0
Played at AJ Kelly Field
Peninsula Power claimed their most important victory of the 2016 Flight Centre Premier League when they took their time to warm up but eventually came away with a 1-0 win over Rochedale Rovers at AJ Kelly Field on Saturday evening.
Twice Kado Aoci had second half goals disallowed but just when it looked as if it might not be Peninsula’s day, Jared Austen produced a moment of magic, firing a brilliant shot from the edge of the area which beat the impressive Brandon Cuminao in goal and deflected in off the right hand post.
A big crowd was on hand at Kippa-Ring for a vital game with huge implications for the remainder of the season. It was predicted to be tight but Peninsula’s second half performance should put shivers through all of the other top-four contenders.
Former A-League striker Juan Carlos Solórzano made his Flight Centre Premier League debut and, apart from some clever moments early in the contest, was largely anonymous in the number nine role for Rovers. Credit must go to Josh Ahern who did a great job on him with one tackle in particular drawing big cheers from the packed verandah.
Rochedale looked competitive for the first forty-five minutes but didn’t create any genuine chances despite having a glut of corners. At their best they turned the game scrappy but struggled to string passing moves together.
It wasn’t all negatives for the away team. Phil Davies once again was sensational. He’s the best fullback in Brisbane and Scott MacNicol would surely love to clone him so he could play up front as well.
Power's Andre Bonotto and Rovers Scott Sargent tussle for the ball. Photo: Kylie Wells.
But it was Peninsula’s night as they camped on the edge of the penalty area and searched for the winner. Andre Bonotto and Austen taunted, probed and teased their opposition and it would have been a miscarriage of justice if the goal hadn’t finally arrived.
They’ve struggled to find an X-factor and with that has come some poor results but Kado Aoci and Charles Mendy were electric in the last half an hour. Mendy was rusty at times, and made some poor passing decisions, but when he had the opportunity to run with the ball he dragged defenders out of position and changed the structural game plan for the opposition.
Hopefully the Mendy we’ve been waiting for all season has thrown off his injury concerns and will start to thrill the crowds like he did in the NPL.
As strange as it may seem for a team chasing the title, a win for Lions over Mitchelton tomorrow will be more than welcome at AJ Kelly Field. Peninsula have made a habit out of starting slowly and producing the goods at the pointy end of the season. It’s shaping up that way again.
They can beat anyone...consistency is the only thing left to achieve. FB Media Player Of The Match: Kado Aoci (Peninsula Power)
He didn’t get on the scoresheet but he changed the game with his surging runs into the area. He’s still the hardest player to mark in the Flight Centre Premier League. Team line-ups Peninsula Power: Reesby (gk), Fairgrieve, Holden, Salin, Buhmann, Ahern, Bonotto, Austen, Feuerriegel, Aoci, Mendy. Subs: Plummer, Kawakami, Spiandorello, McKinnon.
Rochedale Rovers: Cuminao (gk), Grant, Nagata, Howell, Davies, Mooney, Cameron, Sargent, Cheshire, Solorzano, Mojica-Rodriguez. Subs: Shizuno, Faichnie, Ackland, Young. FB Media Match Stats. Possession: 1st Half 44% - 57% / 2nd Half 47% - 53% Overall Possession: 46% - 54% Shots on target: 2 - 1 Shots off target: 4 - 4 Free kicks: 11 - 10 Offside: 1 - 4 Corners: 5 - 9 Yellow Cards: 1 - 0 Red Cards: 0 - 0 Referee: Anton Shchetinin
