The Finals Series hunt remains wide open in NPL Queensland after 22 rounds as Moreton Bay United were helped by a hat-trick from striker Royce Brownlie.
Brisbane Roar NYL v Brisbane City
Brisbane Roar NYL arrested a seven game losing streak to defeat in-form Brisbane City 3-2 at Perry Park on Friday night.
Returning stars Jai Ingham and Patrick Theodore scored a goal each in the first half for Roar, with Matt Biggins adding to an own goal to level scores midway through the second half before Ingham settled the contest from the penalty spot.
The win is Roar’s first since May and completes a double for the youngsters against City, who remain fifth in the standings and well within Finals Series contention.
Olympic FC v Redlands
Olympic FC kept the pressure on league leader Palm Beach, scoring two late goals to secure a 2-0 win over Redlands United at Cleveland Showgrounds on Friday night.
Former Redlands player Rhys Meredith scored the opener from a free-kick on 73 minutes before Terry Hughes sealed the win with an injury time strike.
The result marks five straight league wins for Olympic and caps off a stunning week for the club following Tuesday’s Westfield FFA Cup win over Melbourne Knights.
Redlands second straight defeat sees them remain in eighth position, four points outside the top four.
Palm Beach Sharks v Western Pride
League leaders Palm Beach Sharks held off a determined fight back from Western Pride to win 4-3 at Mallawa Complex on Saturday night.
The hosts scored twice in each half through Karl Dodd, Riley Dillon, Chris Lucas and Ethan Grimley but were given a scare late in the contest courtesy of second-half goals to Pride substitutes Chris Scott and Cameron Kleinhan.
The result sees Sharks maintain their eight point advantage atop the league ladder, while Pride are in second-last but in little danger of claiming the wooden spoon with a 12 point advantage over SWQ Thunder.
Moreton Bay United v Northern Fury
A hat-trick from Moreton Bay United striker Royce Brownlie kept the pressure on the NPL Queensland top four, as Jets defeated Northern Fury 3-1 at Wolter Park on Saturday night.
Fury opened the scoring through Braedyn Crowley in the opening minutes before Brownlie’s haul secured the Jets the points prior to the hour.
The result leaves Jets one point outside the top four and one place above Brisbane City, who they will face on Friday at Spencer Park in a match critical to both sides finals chances.
Fury remain in 11th place, well clear of the bottom two, with Redlands making the trip to Townsville next weekend.
Brisbane Strikers v FNQ FC Heat
Two second half goals has seen FNQ FC Heat move to third in the standings after defeating Brisbane Strikers 2-0 at Perry Park in Brisbane on Saturday night.
Mqondisi Nkiwane and Crios O’Hare pounced late in the contest to leave Strikers lamenting a host of missed chances in the first half.
The result leaves Strikers in fourth place with a difficult midweek catch-up game against top of the table, Palm Beach Sharks, on the Gold Coast.
Heat will also next face Sharks in Cairns this Saturday night in a busy week for the league leaders.
South West Queensland Thunder v Harimau Muda ‘A’
Harimau Muda ‘A’ held off a three goal second half fight back from South West Queensland Thunder to win 4-3 at Clive Berghofer Stadium in Toowoomba on Sunday.
Seven players got on the score sheet in the high scoring match - Ridzuan, Fandi, Narridzuan and Arif Fardhan scoring for the visitors, while Matt Carey, Rehoboam Ayii and Ryan Ensor netted second half goals for Thunder.
The hosts pressed hard in the final minutes and had some half chances to snatch their first points of the season but the Malaysians held on for their first win since late June.
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