Mid-week’s myriad of entertaining match-ups in the National Premier Leagues (NPL) Queensland Men’s has turned up the heat as the season edges towards its climax.
Olympic FC and Lions FC both recorded substantial wins over Moreton Bay United and Capalaba FC respectively, while Peninsula Power continued their premiership charge, putting a dent in Gold Coast Knights’ silverware aspirations in the process.
Round 19 is shaping up to be decisive, with just one win enough to take an undisputed stake at the summit.
With Brisbane Roar Youth breathing down the neck of the top four, points will be the prerogative for the mid-table sides looking for a fanciful finals placing.
Fans can watch all First Grade NPL Men’s matches live and on demand on NPL.TV, free for Australian residents.
Feature Match:
Redlands United v Eastern Suburbs
Bottom of the table side Redlands United will be hoping to annul their four-game losing streak as they go toe-to-toe with Eastern Suburbs in this weekend’s NPL Men’s Feature Match.
Tuesday’s tussle with Sunshine Coast Wanderers proved to be problematic for Redlands. An early lead courtesy of Craig Peck was vetoed by a Sunshine Coast salvo that fashioned a 4-1 defeat.
The result resigned Redlands to a fourth consecutive loss but while oft in disarray, a narrow 3-2 loss to reigning Champions Gold Coast Knights last weekend offered a glimmer of hope to Jordan Manning’s side.
Eastern Suburbs will be looking to ravage this soft underbelly as the Tigers’ bear their claws at the Compass Grounds.
Easts have struggled to find an equilibrium to their 2020 season. Moments of brilliance, underscored by a 10-2 dismantling of Capalaba FC, have been marred by inconsistency. It’s this erratic form that sees them coming into Sunday’s fixture on a four-game winless streak, recording three straight draws in their last three.
An important mid-week clash with Brisbane City FC saw the side take home just a point after a stunning City goal in the dying moments of the game.
Easts’ anterior has been their saving grace this year. Spearheaded by the electric Abrahim Yango, their pace offers a constant threat on the counter and could prove a difficult beast to cage for Redlands this weekend.
Match Details
Sunday, 11 October, 6:00pm
Compass Grounds
Live Stream Link
Other Key Matches:
Brisbane Roar Youth v Olympic FC
Goodwin Park is set to house one of Round 19’s most enrapturing clashes, as a reinvigorated Brisbane Roar Youth lock horns with an Olympic FC outfit looking to go unopposed at the apex.
Currently enjoying their best season yet of NPL football, the Young Roar are cruising. Buoyed by a brazen swagger that has seen them put much of the bottom half to the sword, they find themselves just six points shy of finals football.
Playing an electric brand of attacking football, the Roar have demonstrated that seniority is superfluous. It’s this youthful verve that promises to pose a threat to Olympic, with the Black and Orange sure to make quick work of any complacency lurking in the ranks of the top two side.
Culling a four-game winless run in an assured victory over Brisbane Strikers midweek, this result could act as preamble as Roar Youth look to make a statement in their remaining five fixtures.
One of the traditional heavyweights of Queensland football, Olympic FC have elevated themselves to a stratum occupied by few others as they continue their premiership charge. Looking to vindicate past season’s silverware setbacks, Ben Cahn’s men have at times looked head and shoulders above their competitors.
Olympic’s goalscoring proclivities landed them another four in their mid-week clash with Moreton Bay United, taking their tally to 40 for the season. The pace-setters’ ten-game unbeaten streak has brought about just eight goals for their opponents, meaning they’ll be a hard nut to crack for the Roar side this weekend.
Favouring a style which encourages cultured passing and sweeping team moves, the 2013 Champions will be a hard unit to contain. Should the Young Roar smite their style, Olympic can fall back on their swathe of stars to get them a result, with the fleet-footed Daniel Leck looking to find his 15th goal of the season.
Match Details
Sunday, 11 October, 6:00pm
Goodwin Park
Live Stream Link
Brisbane Strikers v Capalaba FC
Brisbane Strikers will welcome Capalaba FC to the hallowed turf of Perry Park as both sides look to steer themselves out of mid-table mediocrity in Round 19.
Strikers have been one of the form teams outside of the indomitable top four, recording four losses from their previous thirteen since the season’s restart round. The upturn in results was the poultice they sorely needed to patch a pre-lockdown period which carried with it just a single point.
Mid-week’s offerings brought about an end to the two-time Premiers’ unbeaten streak, being overrun by an invigored Young Roar. Strikers will be buoyed by the return of one of their stars for Saturday’s skirmish, with attacking outlet Jake McLean returning from suspension.
Newly-promoted Capalaba have endured a season of mixed success as they’ve drifted to a respectable 9th place. Claiming bragging rights over rivals Redlands United both times of asking, losses to the competition’s classier operators have starved them of a consistent run of results.
Reeling from Wednesday’s humbling at the hands of ladder leaders Lions FC, the Bulldogs will be incensed to bounce back with a win on the road. Boasting the second-best attacking rate of the bottom half, their front will need to be firing on all cylinders to remedy a defence that has conceded 50 this season.
Talisman Stuart Edgar will be hounding down a Strikers defence in disarray, his goalscoring nous set to be countered by custodian Brendan White who has often been the difference for the Blue and Yellow this season.
Match Details
Saturday, 10 October, 6:30pm
Perry Park
Live Stream Link
Other Round 17 Matches:
Peninsula Power v Gold Coast United
Saturday, 10 October, 6:30pm
Perry Park
Live Stream Link
Moreton Bay United v Gold Coast Knights
Saturday, 10 October, 7pm
Perry Park
Live Stream Link
Brisbane City v Sunshine Coast Wanderers
Sunday, 11 October, 5:30pm
Corporate Travel Management Stadium
Live Stream Link
Key Players:
Cyrus Dehmie (Brisbane Roar Youth): Collecting consecutive Man of the Match honours for his previous two performances, the dangerous Dehmie promises to be a thorn in the side of Olympic’s title hopes.
Daniel Cuttler (Sunshine Coast Wanderers): Cuttler’s quickfire brace which was crowned a Goal of the Week contender fired Wanderers past Redlands, and he’ll be hoping to continue his hot-streak against Brisbane City.
Daniel Leck (Olympic FC): Twice Player of the Month Daniel Leck turned it up against Moreton Bay United mid-week, with a goal and two assists holding him in good stead as he returns to face his former side.
Words: Angus Barnes
Image: Patrick Kearney/Olympic FC
