Words: Matt Dorman, Olympic FC
Image: Alannah Pearson, Olympic FC

Olympic FC captain Danny Byrne has praised the resilience of his teammates after they moved within one match of the FFA Cup Round of 32 on Wednesday night.

The NPL Queensland champions won 4-1 away to Wolves FC in the Football Queensland Cup without key players Tim Smits, Terry Hughes and Reuben Way due to injury, stunning the runaway Brisbane Premier League leaders with a 3-0 half-time lead on the back of a new-look three-man defence.

“The coaches came up with a system and, with three important players for us out in Smitsy, Terry and Reuben, the people who came in showed they were more than capable of doing a job,” Byrne said.

“Mustafa Jafari and Luke Howell were tremendous, I thought on a whole the team played well and the system I thought suited what we needed to do.

“Any win is a good win but the occasion obviously, the FFA Cup, and against a really good Wolves side yet to lose in their league, it’s good to go there and perform so well.”

Jafari, starting alongside his captain in a two-man attack, netted the visitors’ second via a classy volley as his goal was sandwiched between Byrne’s two strikes, before Kazuya Ito sealed victory with a late fourth.

Similarly impressive was young ‘keeper Brandon Cuminao, who came under pressure early in the second half but kept Olympic’s two-goal lead intact.

He and fellow teenagers Ryan Roderick and Matt Williams, both involved off the bench, earned Byrne’s praise.

“It’s good to see Matt and Ryan, and especially young Brandon in goal on such a big occasion and with a stern test, perform and obviously get their chances to perform,” he said.

“What a lot of people outside the NPL Queensland don’t know is that we’re on a player points system so it does allow us to blood those youngsters and give chances in games like this.”

Byrne himself has hit top form in recent outings, notching five goals in four matches with his side now unbeaten in six in all competitions, but he was typically quick to concentrate on team matters.

“It’s always good to score, even if one of them was a mishit cross but at the end of the day they all count. They never ask how, they ask how many,” the 31-year-old said.

“For the team it’s a good win. It’s hard to sometimes come away from the league for these occasions but it’s a break as well.

“For the lads who did so well hopefully we can take that form now and spur on in the league and keep marching on.”

While Olympic have a NPL Queensland league bye this weekend, their next Football Queensland Cup match – of which the Canale Travel Cup is Brisbane’s qualifying zone – will be away to Peninsula Power on 27 May.

The winner will secure one of Queensland’s four places amongst the FFA Cup main draw, where a meeting with an A-League team could await.