WET conditions set the tone on Anzac Day as Redlands United’s Red Devils made the trip to Caboolture for Round 9 of the FQPL — and what followed was a dramatic tale of two halves.
The visitors looked in control early, matching Caboolture across the park in a lively opening where neither goalkeeper was seriously tested.
It was Redlands who struck first, and with precision.
On 42 minutes, Michael Bradley delivered a pinpoint ball that found Finlay Lockyer in space.
Lockyer cut inside his marker and unleashed a strike from just outside the box to give the Red Devils a 1-0 lead.
Momentum stayed with the visitors.
Just two minutes later, Harry Christie created space for Ryuga Fukuda, who fired home from out wide to double the advantage and put Redlands 2-0 ahead on the cusp of half-time.
But the game turned in a flash.
Caboolture hit back a minute later through Ethan Docherty to cut the deficit to 2-1 at the break — a goal that proved pivotal.
The hosts carried that energy into the second half, equalising almost immediately after the restart when a long-range effort took a deflection and bounced in off the post.
Moments later, the contest swung dramatically.
Jayden Balarezo was shown a red card for a tackle, reducing the Red Devils to 10 men for almost the entire second half.
Caboolture capitalised 11 minutes later, taking the lead from a corner to make it 3-2.
Despite being a man down and trailing, Redlands refused to fold and continued to press for an equaliser, showing resilience under pressure.
However, disaster struck again with 10 minutes remaining when a second red card reduced the visitors to nine men.
Still, the Red Devils pushed forward in search of a leveller — but it left them exposed at the back.
In the seventh minute of added time, with Redlands committed forward, Docherty struck again to seal a 4-2 win for Caboolture and secure the three points.
There was a bright note for the visitors, with the Sea Fuel Cleveland Man of the Match awarded to young Under 23 defender Sehaj Grewal on his first-team debut, battling strongly in defence throughout the night.
After the match, Redlands Head Coach Graham Fyfe reflected on the turning points.
“The minute before half-time and two minutes after half-time absolutely just killed us,” he said.
“We were 2-0 up and cruising.
“I thought we weathered a little bit that they had in the first half.
“Again, for maybe three or four games this year, I’m thinking this could go on to 4 or 5, 6-0 if we just keep doing the right things but it’s just not happening.
“So, I’ll take the blame for that and I’ll have to find a way to win games when we’re 2-0 up because it’s happening a lot.”
Fyfe admitted he was again disappointed by some of the refereeing decisions.
“Some of the decisions again, I’ve never seen in football, but that’s alright,” he said.
“We’ll just keep going.
“We’ve got to work hard and see what happens next game.”
Redlands will look to regroup after a week’s break, returning home to Amcal Arena in Cleveland on Friday, May 8, to face Brisbane Strikers, with kick-off at 8.30pm and the Under 23s starting at 6.30pm.
