WET, cold and slippery conditions greeted the Red Devils on Saturday evening as they travelled north to the Moreton City Sports Complex in Caboolture for Round 20 of the FQPL.
With memories still fresh of a heavy 4-1 defeat to Caboolture earlier in the season, Redlands United arrived intent on turning the tables.
It was, however, a nightmare start for the visitors.
Two early defensive lapses gifted Caboolture goals and put the Red Devils under unnecessary pressure inside the opening 20 minutes.
But Redlands’ fightback began almost immediately.
James Keogh lit up the night with a spectacular strike from more than 25 yards, the ball arcing into the top corner to halve the deficit.
The match then swung dramatically in Redlands’ favour when Caboolture’s goalkeeper was sent off in the 26th minute for bringing down Deegan Brook outside the penalty area.
The man advantage allowed the visitors to push high, and just five minutes later Brook latched onto a perfectly weighted Keogh through-ball to draw the sides level.
Brook struck again only three minutes later from the penalty spot after Kealan Crawford was brought down in the box, putting the Red Devils ahead for the first time at 3-2.
The momentum kept building, and in first-half stoppage time, a Redlands corner was headed back into the danger area by Max Ellenger, with Crawford’s glancing header forcing a save that fell kindly to Noah Hitchcock, who tapped home to send the visitors into the break with a commanding 4-2 lead.
Caboolture emerged from the sheds with renewed energy and pressed aggressively in search of a lifeline, but Redlands weathered the early storm and continued to carve out chances.
Their persistence paid off midway through the second half when Crawford was again fouled in the box.
Brook stepped up and coolly converted to complete his hat-trick and extend the lead to 5-2.
With 79 minutes played, Crawford got the goal his performance deserved, capping off a slick move to make it 6-2.
The Red Devils weren’t finished though – moments before the final whistle, Crawford won possession near the edge of the area, skipped past the defence to the byline and delivered a pinpoint cross for substitute Jakan Wilson, who marked his debut with a first-touch goal, sealing a thumping 7-2 win.
After the match, Redlands FQPL coach Jayce Gilchrist praised his side’s resilience.
“It was a great result for us up in Morayfield against a dangerous Caboolture side on Saturday night,” Gilchrist said.
“A couple of early mistakes and some good transition from Caboolture had us 2-0 down after 20 minutes.
“But this group has been building resilience over the last two months when results have been scarce, and we never felt like we couldn’t get ourselves back in the game.”
Gilchrist said the goals to Keogh and Hitchcock and the brace to Brook put the team well in the ascendancy at the break.
“Fresh Caboolture substitutions at half-time meant we had to weather an early second-half storm,” he said.
“Man of the match Brook completed his hat-trick midway through the second half before Kealan Crawford grabbed a sixth to add to his four assists.
“Talented youngster Jakan Wilson scored his debut goal in only his second game and rounded off a resounding 7-2 comeback win for the Redlands United boys.
“We now must focus on our final home game for 2025, the derby, against local rivals Capalaba FC on Saturday night.
They’re scrapping to avoid relegation and will no doubt pose a fierce challenge as we look to finish our season strongly.”
The derby kicks off at 6.15pm this Saturday at Amcal Arena, with the Under 23s playing the curtain-raiser at 4pm.
