Brisbane Strikers FC ended their final home game of the 2020 NPL QLD season on a high after a victory against Gold Coast United on Saturday night.

Coming into the match Strikers were looking to make amends for a frustrating midweek loss to Redlands United at Perry Park, where the visitors scored a go-ahead goal in the 93rd minute.

Gold Coast United had also featured in mid-week, earning an eye-catching 5-5 draw with Moreton Bay United, having been 4-0 down at half-time.

The game was highly competitive from the off, with both sides showing strong signs on the ball and working goal scoring opportunities.

It wouldn’t take long for the deadlock to broken as Gold Coast United worked the ball out wide to Zander Guy on the right side of the 18-yard-box before the tricky forward created space to shoot for himself and found the bottom corner.

Following the goal Strikers quickly rallied and began to control the tempo with Cooper McCormack, Aden Gardner, and Nic Webb all looking lively in forward areas.

The equaliser did come before the halftime break in a move that began with a Gold Coast turnover deep in Strikers territory and after a brilliantly executed passing sequence, the ball came to Cooper McCormack who beat his marker and slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

The halftime whistle blew with the sides level at one apiece but momentum in the favour of Strikers.

That momentum carried through to the second half and quickly resulted in a go-ahead goal with Aden Gardner latching onto a rebound from a saved Cooper McCormack shot just five minutes after the restart.

Strikers continued to dominate the game and were unlucky not to add to their lead because of the exploits of Gold Coast goalkeeper Aidan Munford.

In the end, however, Strikers saw out the remainder of the match earning a well-deserved three points and a great send-off to the home fans at Perry Park.

Goals

13’ – Gold Coast United – Zander Guy picked up the ball on the right side of the 18-yard-box before feinting his way past two defenders and slotting the ball into the back of the net.

35’ – Brisbane Strikers FC – A quick passing move allowed Strikers to break forward and a brilliant third man run saw Cooper McCormack played in behind, who then beat his marker and slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

49’ – Brisbane Strikers FC – Chris Maher played Cooper McCormack in behind the Gold Coast United back four before the forward had his shot saved by Aidan Munford with the ball spilling out to Aden Gardner who eventually scored.

Interesting Fact

Saturday’s game marked the final match under head coach Owen Baker who has stood down from his position and the club would like to thank him for his outstanding contributions throughout his tenure.

Owen has had a remarkable rise over the past eight years initially joining us in 2013 as our U15 head coach before progressing to U18s head coach in 2015, first-team assistant coach in 2017, and first-team head coach by 2018.

During this period, Owen was crucial in the development of many Strikers Academy products who went on to either play for the club’s first team or become professional footballers.

As well as this, Owen oversaw some of the greatest moments in the history of the club, including our historic run to the FFA Cup Semi-final in 2019.

First-team assistant coach Dave Provan will step into the role of head coach for the final game of the season against Eastern Suburbs next weekend because Owen has a long-standing pre-COVID commitment, making him unavailable for the game.

We would like to wish Owen all the best in the future and will always welcome him back to the club as a lifelong friend.

Next Game

Brisbane Strikers FC will take on Eastern Suburbs away from home this Saturday night at 4:45pm in what will be their final game of the 2020 NPL QLD season.

Photo Credit

David Seo

Player

30. Brendan White, Goalkeeper