WHAT a finish.
Trailing Gold Coast Knights 1–0 with only minutes remaining, our players refused to accept defeat and produced one of the most dramatic victories of our season.
Lucas Martins equalised in the 88th minute before Fernando Nash scored the winner in the 93rd to secure a memorable 2–1 victory away from home.
It was a real game of two halves.
We never really got going with the ball during the first half and that contributed to some of our defensive problems.
Gold Coast’s goal came after a cheap turnover. We attempted to play a long ball when a shorter option was available and then did not defend our penalty area well enough.
It was disappointing to go into half-time behind because we had enjoyed plenty of possession, but we needed to use the ball more effectively and provide a greater attacking threat.
We changed our shape at the break.
Having watched Gold Coast, I did not feel they were going to press us particularly aggressively, so we did not need the extra defender. We moved to a back four and played with a second striker to give ourselves another option going forward.
The change helped us gain greater control.
We dominated possession and field position during the second half, used the ball well and created several chances.
After last week’s goalless draw against Peninsula Power, I spoke about finding a better balance between defence and attack. We were defensively sound in that game but did not offer enough going forward.
There were similar signs during the first half against Gold Coast, but I was much happier with our attacking performance after the break.
Tactics were only one part of the turnaround.
At half-time, we told the players that while we could adjust the formation, they also needed to ensure their individual attitude and application were right.
That has been an area where we have not always delivered consistently this season, but the response against Gold Coast was excellent.
The players remained composed, continued believing and were rewarded for playing until the final whistle.
Zac Galea also made an extremely important save while we were trailing 1–0. That moment kept us in the contest and gave us the opportunity to complete the comeback.
It was also great to have Jack Benham back in the side.
Jack is comfortable with the ball and brings a real presence to our midfield. Sometimes the best decision is to retain possession instead of immediately trying to force the ball forward.
His composure allowed us to grow into the game and exert greater control during the second half.
Josip also played an important role. He breaks up play very well and remains a big player for us. Having Jack alongside him helped the midfield unit and brought back some of the control we showed earlier in the season.
Unfortunately, we now lose Jack to America. We have missed him through injury in recent weeks, but there is little value in looking back and wondering what might have happened had he been available.
Our focus must remain on the matches ahead.
This result again demonstrated that we can compete with the league’s leading teams.
We have not been beaten by Peninsula Power or Moreton City and have now defeated Gold Coast away from home. Lions are probably the only leading team we have genuinely struggled against.
Our biggest challenge has been producing these performances consistently.
We have a young group, and consistency develops when players spend more time together. If you look at Lions, Power, Moreton City and Gold Coast, they have retained a core group for an extended period.
That is something we need to do at Wynnum Wolves. Keeping the core of this squad together for the next few years will give us the opportunity to build something special.
There is still a chance of reaching the top four, but we need to beat City next week and Easts after that before seeing where we land.
With five or six clubs fighting for the final two positions, whoever misses out will undoubtedly look back with some regrets.
For now, however, we can enjoy a hard-earned victory that showed the character, composure and determination within this group.
We kept believing until the end — and this time, we received the reward our performance deserved.
