Coast gets a soaking
FNQ Heat rains on City’s parade with a last-ditch goal to win match
AN added-time goal from Chris Sullivan sentenced Gold Coast City to a watery grave in the opening round of the National Premier Leagues Queensland.
Sullivan’s goal, which came in the 92nd minute to give Far North Queensland Heat a 3-2 win, was a cruel final chapter for City in a clash played in pouring, sometimes torrential, rain.
Defeat was hard to swallow for City coach Grae Piddick who nevertheless encouraged by the effort put in by his players in difficult conditions. City led getting close to the break after a Justyn McKay goal, then they levelled at 2-2 just near fulltime through newcomer Sam Smith.
“Unfortunately each time we scored Far North managed to do the same soon after, then they got the winner in added time,” Piddick told the Bulletin.
“I thought the boys did well in the conditions, they worked hard.
“There was a little bit of rust there and in the end a bit of fatigue probably cost us.”
A blow to City was a hamstring strain sustained by left winger Nik Mirkovic in the first half. This caused a rejig of City’s structure which, Piddick suggested, may have had something to do with the end result.
“There were no real standouts for us but most definitely no one was poor,” he said.
City fielded five players who weren’t with the club at the end of last season – strikers Smith and Jarrod Lyle, attacking midfielder Ethan Grimley, defender Eoghan Murphy and Matthew Schmidt.
Meanwhile there were no upsets in the round of 16 when the Football Gold Coast Cup kicked off over the weekend.
The big match was at Nikiforides Park where Broadbeach United, 2016 league minor premiers, beat Surfers Paradise, 2016 premiers, 4-1.
Over the border Tweed United (Coast League 1) almost brought off a shock win against Premier League Magic United before the game went into a penalty shootout which Magic won 8-7.