The Gold Coast Bulletin

Brace break City hearts

Brisbane side strike a telling blow

- TERRY WILSON terry.wilson@news.com.au

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.

 ??  ?? Jarrod Kyle scored two goals Gold Coast City’s 3-2 loss to arch rivals Brisbane Strikers.
Jarrod Kyle scored two goals Gold Coast City’s 3-2 loss to arch rivals Brisbane Strikers.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Australia