Brace break City hearts
Brisbane side strike a telling blow
GOLD Coast City have opened the door for arch rivals Brisbane Strikers to land the NPL Queensland minor premiership and top spot for the finals.
Two absolute belters of goals – a fact even conceded by City coach Grae Piddick – sentenced the Gold Coast side to a ladder-shifting 3-2 loss in a quality clash at Perry Park in Brisbane on Saturday.
In a fixture that could have huge implications for the ultimate make-up of the ladder and therefore finals, the result took the Strikers to within two points of City (38 to 36) at the top of standings with six matches still to play before the playoffs.
But as Piddick pointed out, the Strikers have five games coming up against the bottom five sides on the ladder. “We’re now only two points clear and the pressure’s on for sure,” Piddick said after the Strikers delivered two kinghits in the 81st and 89th minutes after City had initially led 2-1 late in the contest.
“They scored an absolute belter (from Greg Cheshire) to win the game and their first (to Horiki Omori) was just as good. They were two unbelievable strikes so I guess it took two top-shelf goals to get over the top of us.
“It was a bit of a heartbreaking loss I suppose because not only were we good enough to win the game but also we didn’t even get a draw out of it in the end.”
Big Jarrod Kyle had City hearts beating when he struck twice on the space of nine minutes after half-time before Cheshire’s goal had the Strikers camp grinning broadly in the crucial clash.
Piddick admitted his City side must now win all remaining games – starting next weekend with a home clash against Redlands United – to keep the Strikers at bay in the race for the title.
Strikers pipped City by a single point to claim last season’s minor premiership.