CAPALABA coach Danny Gnjidic says his side’s derby win was “well-deserved and hard-earned” after the Bulldogs fought back to claim a 2-1 victory over Redlands United in the battle of the Bayside.
Despite conceding inside three minutes through a Ryan Piunti own goal, Gnjidic said his side never felt out of the contest.
“They scored early from a set piece — well, an own goal — but after that I thought we responded really well and probably had the better of the next 20–25 minutes,” he said.
Gnjidic said his side took confidence from that first-half response, even after being forced into an early change through injury.
“We had to take Thiago off before half-time, which unsettled us a little bit,” he said.
“But we still took a lot of confidence out of the first half as far as our performance.”
The Bulldogs then turned the match after the break, converting the chances they had missed earlier in the season.
“In the second half we took the game up to them and, unlike other games this season, we were able to convert our opportunities,” he said.
“It was a well-deserved and hard-earned victory.”
Redlands United coach Graham Fyfe, however, was left to rue missed chances, insisting his side would win the match and the recent 3-2 Queensland Cup defeat to the Bulldogs “nine out of 10 times.”
“It’s really disappointing because both performances, we’d win the game nine out of 10 times,” he said.
“But that’s football.”
Redlands dominated periods of the first half but failed to capitalise, with Fyfe pointing to a lack of cutting edge in front of goal.
“We had loads of chances, especially before half-time,” he said.
“There was one almost free header, six yards out, and you miss it.
“We’re just lacking a bit of quality in the final third — that final ball or that person to finish at the moment.”
The turning point came shortly after half-time, where Fyfe said his side lost control of the match.
“There was a 15-minute spell after half-time where we were giving away too many throw-ins and corners and it was becoming scrappy,” he said.
“We didn’t handle that 15, 20 minutes well and got punished twice for it.”
Capalaba’s goals came through a deflection and a scramble in the box, with Fyfe also questioning the second.
“It was like a double bad clearance for the second one,” he said.
“Although I think our goalkeeper was getting impeded by someone who’s offside — there’s no VAR here, so you’ve got no chance.”
While disappointed, Fyfe said the message to his players was simple.
“If you don’t take your chances, you are vulnerable to these results,” he said.
“We’ve just got to keep going and find a way to at least take half our chances.”
Injuries have also played a role, with Redlands missing a string of defensive midfielders.
“I think that’s four defensive midfielders out now, so I’ve got none available,” he said.
“I’ve never seen nothing like it… it’s all the same position.”
Fyfe also pointed to a need for stronger leadership on the pitch during key moments.
“I think there’s a little bit of a lack of leadership on the pitch,” he said.
“The players have got to take control now and manage games a bit better.”
For Gnjidic, the performance was as pleasing as the result, highlighting a collective effort across the squad.
“It was a real team performance,” he said.
“We’re not a team of superstars — we’ve got a lot of young boys — so everyone has to play their role.
“I thought it was probably our most complete performance and really consistent across the group, even from the players coming off the bench.”
He also noted the derby edge returned compared to their recent cup clash.
“It was definitely more of a derby feel,” he said.
“It was feisty, both teams wanted it, but it was played in good spirit.”
Redlands will look to bounce back when they return home to face Robina next weekend.
Capalaba will be on the road, travelling to face Holland Park on Friday night as they look to build on back-to-back wins over their Bayside rivals.
