Words: Michael Flynn, Football Queensland
Image: Alannah Pearson, Olympic FC

Brisbane Strikers and Olympic FC are set for a blockbuster showdown in the Canale Travel Cup Final later this year after the NPL Queensland sides prevailed in hard fought semi finals earlier this week.

Strikers defeated Lions FC 3-2 on Wednesday night at Perry Park to join Olympic, who defeated Peninsula Power 2-1, in the final of the tournament run by local member zone Football Brisbane.

The Canale Travel Cup served as the Brisbane zone of the Football Queensland Cup, which delivers two Brisbane clubs and two regional clubs to the national stage in the FFA Cup Round of 32.

Peter Ioannidis, President of defending NPL Queensland champions Olympic, said his club were delighted to be playing in both the Canale Travel Cup Final and qualify for the FFA Cup.

“We are pretty excited. We sat down as a group and discussed where we want to be and what we want to do (this season).” Ioannidis explained.

“Last year was such a high for the club to get into the semi-finals of the National Premier Leagues, so we want to try and get into the final of everything and win as much as we can.”

“We’ve got a taste for it now and we want to see if we can keep on doing it,” he added.

Strikers Chairman Bruce Atterton-Evans agreed his club will be equally motivated to put their best foot forward in the cup final.

“Any game the Strikers enter, we enter to win it. So the Canale Cup Final will be no different, Atterton-Evans said.

”I think any opportunity you get to perform on the bigger stage so to speak is critical and your performance will be judged accordingly.”

Atterton-Evans added he wouldn’t read too much into Strikers 3-2 win over Olympic earlier in the NPL Queensland league season, conceding cup football is a different ball-game.

“It’s basically knock-out, winner-take-all, and anything can happen in the game. Both teams are different squads to where we were earlier in the season.”

However, Ioannidis opted to engage in some friendly pre-final banter with their opponents, despite a date not yet being set for the much-anticipated final – suggesting their fellow FFA Cup qualifiers over emphasise their past glories.

“Football has changed. The landscape has changed and really a lot of people wouldn’t remember that (1997 NSL Grand Final),” Ioannidis said.

“It was nearly 20 years ago. How many of the younger kids remember Strikers past glories? Not many,” he added.