Words: Michael Flynn
Image: Patrick Kearney/Olympic FC

The race for the Premiership remains tight following Round 17 of PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland.

Redlands United FC 6 (Elliott RONTO 2’ 86’, Graham FYFE 4’ 23’ 46’, Lyndon DYKES 13’)
Western Pride FC 1 (Lincoln RULE 35’p)

Redlands United surged closer to finals football by ruthlessly punishing Western Pride 6-1 at Cleveland Showgrounds on Friday night.

Graham Fyfe snared a hat-trick while Elliott Ronto and Lyndon Dykes also added goals to make it four straight wins for the Red Devils.

Victory moves Redlands into a season-high fourth spot with six matches remaining in their regular season.

Pride interim coach Wayne Heath lamented a lethargic opening from his charges.

“We just didn’t start well. We let ourselves down in a lot of dumb areas and they took advantage,” Heath said.

Full match report and post-match interviews - http://bit.ly/1Tq1uhL

Palm Beach SC  3 (Tim JACKSON 30’ 42’, Justyn MCKAY 88’)
Sunshine Coast FC  1 (Raymond SCHULTZ 90+3’)

Palm Beach SC kept their Finals Series hopes alive with a 3-1 win over Sunshine Coast FC at Mallawa Complex on Saturday night.

Tim Jackson delivered a first-half brace for the hosts before captain Justyn McKay wrapped up the points late in the second half prior to a consolation goal to Fire’s Raymond Schultz.

The result continues a horror mid-season stretch for Fire, who are now winless in their past eight PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland matches - a run that extends back to early May.

Sharks coach Grae Piddick expressed his delight at his side converting their chances after inconsistent returns in the front third this season.

“Obviously we need to score goals from open play but because we were getting in areas where they were forcing corners that’s why we scored the goals,” Piddick said.

Full match report and post-match interviews - http://bit.ly/1KWScbu

Moreton Bay United FC  2 (Royce BROWNLIE 17’, Jackson HALL 46’)
Brisbane Strikers FC  2 (Jheison MACUACE 49’, Apai UKUNO 72’)

Brisbane Strikers fought from two goals down to share the points with league-leaders Moreton Bay United 2-2 at Wolter Park on Saturday night.

Former Strikers players Royce Brownlie and Jackson Hall guided Jets to a two goal advantage early in the second half, however the visitors bounced back courtesy of replies from Jheison Macuace and Apai Ukuno.

The result sees Jets maintain their two point advantage over Strikers atop the PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland standings, however means the league-leaders have not beaten Strikers in three meetings in all competitions this year.

Jets’ coach Adam Piddick described the result as “bitter-sweet” but said the draw was the fair result.

“When you come up against a good side you’re not going to get everything your own way,” Piddick explained.

Full match report and post-match interviews - http://bit.ly/1LXOcHf

SWQ Thunder FC  1 (Keagen SHERIDAN 45’)
Northern Fury FC  3 (Corey WAPLES 16’, Joe THORNTON 76’p, Jarrod LEE 90+1’)

Northern Fury recorded their second straight win after seeing off a determined SWQ Thunder 3-1 at Clive Berghofer Stadium on Saturday night.

Strikes to Fury’s Corey Waples and Thunder’s Keagan Sheridan saw the team’s level at half-time, before goals to Joe Thornton and Jarrod Lee in the final quarter hour sealed the result for Fury.

The win continues Fury’s late-season tilt at a top four finish and sees the Townsville side now move to fifth place in the standings.

Fury coach Ian Ferguson said his side were fortunate to not drop points against the league's bottom-placed side.

“The way we played today we were second best to everything and I thought Thunder put in a good performance,” Ferguson said.

Full match report and post-match interviews - http://bit.ly/1D7QTi8

Olympic FC  5 (Sam CRONIN 3’, Matt BYRNE 57’, Alistair QUINN 62’ 69’, Tim SMITS 89’)
Brisbane City FC  0

Olympic FC claimed bragging rights for another year over derby rivals Brisbane City, cruising to a 5-0 win at Goodwin Park on Saturday night.

Alistair Quinn struck two of four second-half goals for the hosts, adding to further scores from Sam Cronin, Tim Smits and Matt Byrne.

The win keeps Olympic in the Premiership race in third place on the ladder and marks a PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland 2015 double for the two-time Grand Finalists over their cross-town opponents.

Quinn said he was pleased to get his name on the scoresheet for the first time in the competition in his 19th league appearance.

“I’m pretty happy to score two goals. I haven’t scored in a long time, so it was pretty good,” Quinn said.

Full match report and post-match interviews - http://bit.ly/1Htx5qc

FNQ FC Heat 3
Brisbane Roar FC Youth  0
*Result awarded on forfeit

The match between FNQ Heat and Brisbane Roar Youth was forfeited by Young Roar, resulting in a 3-0 result being awarded to Heat under competition rules.