Toowong Overcome Oxley To Open Gap On Bottom Four
Oxley United 0 Toowong 1 (Klaassen 61’) HT: 0-0 Played at Dunlop Park
This was not a game for the football purist. Two teams in mid-table trying to get a move up on the opposition and it showed. Chances were few and far between as both sides were intent on closing down each other at every opportunity. The first half was a half of limited clear opportunities for either side. The first shot on goal came after seven minutes when Will Jordan struck a powerful shot from some 30 yards out but straight at Toowong keeper Johnathon Alderton who gathered cleanly. Toowong’s first real chance came on sixteen minutes when a good pass from Michael Eggleton put Matt Sauer through on the left but his shot hit the side netting. Toowong then had a great opportunity on 25 minutes when Anthony Cox got past his defender on the right and squared across goal to Sauer at the back post who looked likely to score, but his shot was parried by Oxley keeper Adam McLellan who got across quickly and then blocked the follow up shot away for a corner. 31 minutes in and Oxley were given an opportunity with an indirect free kick in Toowong’s penalty area due to a high foot but Jordan could only chip the ball over the bar. Toowong had the better of things towards the end of the half and their next chance came with four minutes left when Eggelton was through on goal centrally, but indecision cost him as the Oxley defence recovered and a weak shot was partially deflected and then gathered by McLellan. Two minutes later Cox was in on the right but McLellan had his angles covered and saved at the near post for a corner. Oxley started the second half the better and could have taken the lead on 51 minutes when Kristian Samuels was put through by Jordan but, under pressure from the Toowong defence, poked the ball wide right of the goal. Then on 54 minutes, Nicholas Klaassen, who had come on as substitute just three minutes earlier, looked certain to score when a cross from the left was headed back across goal. All that was required was a solid touch to put the ball into the net but he somehow contrived to send the ball wide of the goal. Klaassen redeemed himself seven minutes later. Sauer got through on the left again and pulled the ball back for Klaassen to thump the ball past McLellan who could not react quickly enough. Sauer had been making inroads down Oxley’s right had side and it was no surprise that he was the provider for the breaking of the deadlock. The match then became a to and fro battle as neither side was able to string any successful series of passes together under opposition pressure. Oxley’s best chance of an equaliser came on 81 minutes when Samuels was put through on the left by Jordan but his weak shot was gathered by Alderton. Four minutes later an Oxley corner kick from the right was cleared, but only as far as Thomas Grylls who sent the ball back in to be met by the head of Andrew Martin, who had pushed up from defence, with the ball going over the cross bar. In the end, if it was boxing match, Toowong would have won on points based on clear opportunities. Fortunately for them, they scored the goal that got them the points that mattered.
Coaches Reactions:
Will Windsor (Oxley Utd): “It was disappointing. Toowong probably just out-enthused us for much of the game and showed a bit more desire. I can’t complain too much about the work effort of my team. We’ve got an opportunity to finish off the season with better performances than today.” Claude Capelli (Toowong): “It’s all about the result. We came here knowing it’s a tough place to play football. The ball’s bobbling everywhere and we knew that and we knew it wasn’t going to be easy to get a result and we just battled. We’ve struggled in front of goal this year but it was an important result for us.”
Team line-ups
Oxley Utd: McLellan (GK), Goncalves, Blake, Martin, Burt (67’), Jordan, Stuckey, Samuels, Grylls (83’), Ryan, Tierney.
Subs: Dobinson (67’), Beavogui (83’)
Toowong: Alderton (GK), Dunn, Sauer (85’), Morrison, Miotti, Capelli, Cox, Greenslade-Horton, Grogan, Hill (51’), Eggleton (64’)
Subs: Klaassen (51’), Graham (64’), Nevis (85’) REFEREE: David Snape
