Super Logan Dismantle Toothless Lions
Logan FC 3 (Efstathis 9’, Cearns 37’ Josh Sherwood 78’) Lions FC 1 (Diaz 90+1' pen)
HT 2-0
Played at Cornubia Park
Logan FC out-enthused and outplayed league leaders Lions FC with a 3-1 win which flattered the visitors on a drizzly Saturday evening at Cornubia Park. Nick Efstathis set the wheels in motion in the ninth minute, and dispelled the myth of his side being brittle in the games with the biggest consequences, when he was left unmarked at a corner by the best set-piece defence in Brisbane and flicked a right foot shot in from ten yards out. A single goal lead against Lions is never enough so, when Blake Cearns picked Ajdin Fetahagic’s pocket and beat Phil Zabaks with a quality finish after a long run in on goal, it was a deserved lead on the balance of play. The result was eventually put beyond doubt in the 78th minute by Josh Sherwood who hit his shot directly at Zabaks but the greasy conditions got the better of the former NSWPL keeper and he could only watch as the ball squirted out of his grasp and trickled inside the far post. With time almost up, Marco Jankovic was fouled just inside the box and Tynan Diaz cracked another excellent spot-kick past Ryan Meskell. The Logan keeper made two excellent saves tonight and he was ultimately unfortunate not to finish with a clean sheet. The Lightning set out to play their own game tonight, not falling into the trap of parking the bus which hasn’t worked for anyone this year when playing Warren Moon’s team. If Logan were poor in any area tonight, which is clutching at some very short straws, it was with decision making in attack. Two first half goals from five clear chances is a good return but after they break they should have had added another couple but for players shooting when the obvious option was to pass. It made no difference to the outcome but an honest to goodness thrashing would really have set the cat amongst the pigeons. Greg Gourley has been turning heads since his promotion to the seniors and his combination with Max Brown in the middle of the park was instrumental in the result. Lions look best with Jankovic dominating in a box to box role but tonight he was out-scrapped and largely anonymous. Michael Butters was again best for Lions. Playing in the central striker role, he looked certain to score but rode a hefty challenge in a red card position and skewed his hot wide of the right hand upright. He had every reason to be aggrieved with not having the play called back for the foul. It was an important moment. With Nathan Shepherd missing, Lions were forced to push Peter Gaffney deeper on the left. He was good but he’s better with the nippy Scotsman overlapping. The key to the win, apart from the tactical structure, was enthusiasm. Logan were dominant against their highly rated opponents in almost every role. Cameron Saint and Efstathis were faultless at centre back, Will Bramwell was confident and assured at right back and Josh Sherwood drew plenty of attention attacking from right midfield. This result changes everything for the Lightning. It’s hard to reconcile this team against the same squad which were poor last week against Holland Park Hawks. It’s great for the league. They move into fourth place, hoping that upsets can continue tomorrow when Ipswich play Rochedale Rovers and Peninsula play Mitchelton. After the game, the opposing coaches echoed each other’s assessment of the contest. “We were second best from start to finish. I don't think anyone can question the result,” said Moon. “We are much better than we showed tonight and will need to be if we are to achieve our goals for the season.” Nick Croyden was understandably buoyant about the outcome. “ It’s the first time we’ve managed to put 90 minutes together,” he said. “If we can do that for the rest of the year we could be a very happy team at season’s end.” FB Media Player Of The Match: CM Max BROWN - Logan FC
The former Roar Youth player had one of his best games in the maroon and white. The central channel is incredibly difficult to control against Lions but Brown did just that.. Team line-ups Logan FC: Meskell, Kostovski, Efstathis, Saint, W. Bramwell, Gourley, Stollery, Greer, Brown, Sherwood, Cearns. Subs: Adarkwah, Bedoya, Brent, Patton, Moore.
Lions FC: Zabaks, Gaffney, Reardon, Fetahagic, Takahashi, Jankovic, Cosgrove, Diaz, Kenyon, Cokell, Butters. Subs: Escobar, Fujitani, Jomanday, Morgan, Murphy. FB Media Match Stats. Possession: 1st Half 47% - 53% / 2nd Half 50% - 50%
Overall Possession: 48% - 52%
Shots on target: 8 - 3
Shots off target: 2 - 11
Penalties 0 - 1
Free kicks: 17 - 43
Offside: 0 - 2
Corners: 6 - 6
Yellow Cards: 1 - 2
Red Cards: 0 - 0
Referee: Adam Kersey
