REDLANDS United FC produced a spirited defensive performance before eventually falling 2-0 to ladder leaders Broadbeach United on the road over the weekend.
The Red Devils frustrated the competition front-runners for more than 70 minutes and looked on track to earn a valuable point before Broadbeach finally broke through from a corner in the 75th minute.
Chasing the game late, Redlands then conceded a second goal in stoppage time after an unfortunate deflection left the goalkeeper with little chance.
Despite the result, Redlands coach Graham Fyfe said he was proud of his side’s effort under difficult circumstances.
“I was really happy with the effort and application,” Fyfe said.
“The game plan was going well. We’ve got so many players out now. We had two players on the bench that were supposed to start but couldn’t because they were sick.
“To hold out the best team in the league for that long was pleasing.”
Fyfe said Broadbeach became increasingly frustrated as the match wore on before turning to higher-level experience off the bench to find a breakthrough.
“You could tell they were getting frustrated,” he said.
“They managed to bring on three or four boys who have played at a higher level, and you can see the difference when that happens.”
The Red Devils coach admitted the opening goal was particularly frustrating, with a breakdown in defensive positioning at a corner proving costly.
“We had a set-up for the corner kicks and two of the boys didn’t stand in the right spot. It killed us,” Fyfe said.
“That’s something I’m going to address because it was very, very annoying.”
Redlands also had chances to snatch a result after pushing numbers forward late in the contest.
“We actually could have scored when we went for it as well,” Fyfe said.
“We had a couple of really good chances, but that’s football.”
The coach said the club’s ongoing injury toll and lack of continuity continued to impact performances.
“The only time we’ve had the same team three games in a row, we won all three games,” he said.
“Since then, it’s been up and down. You can see how important consistency is in this league.”
Redlands now return home next weekend to face Sunshine Coast FC in another important clash.
Fyfe expects another tough encounter.
“They’re very dangerous on the counterattack,” he said.
“We can outplay them, but we’ve got to be really switched on defensively. It’ll come down to the two 18-yard boxes again and that’ll make the difference.”
