REDLANDS United Red Devils produced a gutsy, disciplined performance despite going down 1–0 to NPL heavyweights Gold Coast Knights in Round 2 of the Kappa Pro Series at Amcal Arena, Cleveland, on Friday night.
As expected, the former NPL champions asserted themselves early, applying sustained pressure and spending long periods camped in Redlands’ defensive third.
The Red Devils, however, stood firm.
Their well-organised, scrambling defence repelled wave after wave of attacks, with goalkeeper Connor Damsma outstanding between the posts.
Damsma marshalled his backline superbly and produced a series of fine saves, including two point-blank efforts that kept the host’s level.
Despite the Knights’ dominance in possession, Redlands were far from overawed and showed real intent going forward.
In the 25th minute, Ryuga Fukuda came agonisingly close to opening the scoring, unleashing a powerful drive from 25 metres that skimmed the crossbar.
The breakthrough eventually came five minutes before half-time, when the Knights scored following a run from deep in defence to edge ahead 1–0.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with the visitors pressing hard and Redlands defending resolutely.
The Red Devils refused to allow the Knights to settle in the box, forcing rushed efforts and limiting clear shooting opportunities.
Damsma again played a key role, pulling off more quality saves to keep his side firmly in contention.
Over the final 20 to 25 minutes, Redlands began to turn the momentum.
They found more joy in attack, putting the Knights’ defence under increasing pressure and forcing their goalkeeper into several important saves to protect the narrow lead.
The best chance of the match arrived five minutes from time when two new signings combined brilliantly.
Given space down the flank, Finlay Lockyer beat his defender and drove to the byline before delivering a dangerous cross into the six-yard box.
Felix Muzirwa met it first time, but with the keeper beaten, the ball flew just over the bar.
It proved to be the final major moment of the contest, with the Knights holding on for a one-goal victory.
After the match, Redlands head coach Graham Fyfe acknowledged the quality of the opposition, describing Gold Coast Knights as “a massive club in Queensland” that has “done amazing things the last few years”.
Despite that, Fyfe said his side was disappointed to come away with a narrow 1-0 loss.
Redlands’ defensive structure was a major focus of the performance, with Fyfe saying it was an area the team had been working hard on.
He praised his players for digging deep for long periods, noting the Knights were “a very good team” that forced his side to defend the penalty area strongly.
Redlands also created chances at the other end but were denied by some sharp goalkeeping.
“Their keeper made some really good saves to deny us,” Fyfe said.
Fyfe said a midfield adjustment at half-time shifted the momentum, particularly late in the match.
“I thought going into the second half, after we tweaked the midfield, we started to get on top of them, especially the last 20–25 minutes, which was great to see,” he said.
The coach said his side moved the ball well and created several clear opportunities, including one chance that would usually be converted.
“On another day it would definitely go in,” he said.
Fyfe was full of praise for the depth of his squad, including players coming off the bench and a debutant who impressed in a tough assignment.
“It’s very positive. I don’t like losing, but it’s very positive and we’ll keep going,” he said.
Redlands now turn their attention to their final Kappa Pro Series match of 2026, hosting old rivals’ Olympic FC on Saturday at 6pm at Amcal Arena.
