Words: Michael Flynn
Additional Reporting: Simon Smale
Images: Scott Norrish

A quick-fire first-half double from Nicholas Buckley secured Brisbane City a 4-2 win over SWQ Thunder in a roller-coaster showdown at Corporate Travel Management Stadium.

Buckley delivered the decisive strikes late in the first half after the teams exchanged blows in an open first half that saw both sides pull ahead before conceding equalisers.

Thunder’s Nykodah Smith saw his early opener cancelled out by City’s Scot Coulson inside the opening quarter hour, before Mitchell Hore scored from a corner to put the hosts ahead only for Majok Piok to again level from the penalty spot.

The flow of goals ceased in the second half as City saw out the contest to extend their unbeaten league run to seven matches and once more edge ahead of Gold Coast City into fourth place.

For Thunder, the result ends a two match winning streak and leaves them languishing in ninth on the table.

Key Moments

3’ - GOAL FOR THUNDER - Nykodah Smith slides in the six yard box to meet a low cross from the right and guides the ball past City goalkeeper Timothy Allen on the second attempt

13’ - GOAL FOR CITY – Thunder goalkeeper Luke Borean flaps at a cross, palming the ball to Motoki Kakehi, who crosses into a packed goal area for Scott Coulson to turn the ball in through the crowd

36’ - GOAL FOR CITY - Mitchell Hore scores directly from a corner after a series of three corners in a row forced Borean to palm the ball behind repeatedly

39’ - GOAL FOR THUNDER - Majok Piok buries a penalty after the referee spots a hand ball in the penalty area

40’ - GOAL FOR CITY - Nicholas Buckley is played in by a deft touch from Carter Glockner and fires low into the goal past Borean

41’ - GOAL FOR CITY - Buckley scores his second in as many minutes after a low Kai Smith cross from the right picks him out inside the penalty area

53’ – CHANCE FOR THUNDER – A break for the visitors sees Mustafa Jafari to back himself but his deflected shot is saved by Allen

58’ – CHANCE FOR THUNDER - Piok shoots from the right hand edge of the area across goal, which Allen brilliantly saves smartly to his right

72’ – CHANCE FOR THUNDER – Nykodah Smith bursts into the penalty area before pulling the trigger but Allen is again up to task to push the ball wide of the post

82’ – CHANCE FOR CITY – Nathan Bird is found by a sharp cut-back pass from Luke Pavlou but his shot can’t beat Borean

90’ – CHANCE FOR THUNDER – Nykodah Smith is played through one-on-one with Allen but the City gloveman is relatively untroubled by the shot to deny the chance

What They Said

“They got off to a good start thanks to a mistake we made, but the good thing about our guys was they they showed character and got back into the game. I think the goals that we scored and the way that we knocked the ball around was really promising. All in all, it was a fairly good performance. We had mobility up front. The system has changed a little bit, but I think the players are now getting used to how we can play and how we get value out of it and it suits the personnel we’ve got.” – John Kosmina, Brisbane City FC coach

“We had a great start, we were going really well in the game but then we had that two minutes of silliness that cost us two goals, otherwise its a game that we’ve pretty much let go away on us. The boys were getting a bit frustrated because they know you’ve got to put the ball in the back of the net and we didn’t capitalise,” Michael Turvey, SWQ Thunder assistant coach 

Match Details

PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues 2016 – Round 13 (rescheduled)

Sunday, June 12
Corporate Travel Management Stadium, Brisbane

Brisbane City FC – 4 (Scot COULSON 13’, Mitchell HORE 36’, Nicholas BUCKLEY 40’ 41’)
SWQ Thunder FC – 2 (Nykodah SMITH 3’, Majok PIOK 39’p)

Match Centre – http://bit.ly/1XniSJ4

Match Officials - Rachel MITCHENSON (referee), Benjamin ORWELL (assistant), Tarran RICHARDS (assistant), Ben COOK (fourth)