A 10-men Redlands United have secured their second win of the season with a 4-2 victory over Sunshine Coast FC Fire on Saturday afternoon.
Despite the win, coach Matt Chandler was disappointed with his team’s first-half performance.
“We got the three points and that is the most important thing and that was what we really wanted,” he said.
“I’m disappointed in some patches of the game but I’m pleased with the character of the players in the second half.”
The Fire had not seen a win so far this season and sat at the bottom of the table but they came out firing as they went ahead after a defensive mistake from Redland saw Shoichi Koshimizu find the back of the net.
Redlands struggled to find a flow in their game as they were continuously de-possessed and were caught out on the counter-attack. However, Alex Warrilow found space to beat the Fire defence and goalkeeper to draw the scores level.
Graham Fyfe doubled the score just before halftime after capitalising on Fire’s defensive mistake, scoring at the near post.
The halftime did not stop Redlands’ momentum as once again Fire failed to clear the ball in a crowded box for Mikey Dalton to add another. It did not take long for Fire to fight their way back into the game, as Jez Lofthouse was able to pressure Denver Crickmore into making a mistake, which resulted in a goal.
The game opened up as both teams had their chances to change the game but neither could capitalise.
The game changed once again for Redlands as Paul Swithenbank received his marching orders after his second yellow card as a substitute.
The Fire took the opportunity to pressure the Redlands defence to find the goal that would level the game but the defence stood strong against constant counter-attacks.
Warrilow secured the three points for Redlands in a lengthy injury time period as he found himself in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Redlands will look towards their Westfield FFA Cup game on Tuesday night against Olympic who beat them 6-2 earlier in the season.
Matt Chandler knows his side has a chance in securing a spot in the next round of the Cup.
“It depends on our attitude if we turn up and play then we have an absolutely fantastic chance,” he said.
“If we don’t then we will we be beat so it’s about how we turn up and motivate ourselves,” Matt said.
Redlands face Olympic FC at the Showgrounds on Tuesday evening before travelling to Goodwin Park to face them twice in five days on Saturday June 3 from 6pm.
