A POWERFUL Luke Francis header salvaged a 1-1 draw for Wynnum Wolves against NPL top-four contender Moreton City Excelsior in a tightly fought Round 10 encounter at Wolter Park.
The first half was a battle of attrition, with both teams going into the break scoreless.
Moreton looked the more threatening side in the second half, with wave after wave of attacks forcing the Wolves into extended spells of desperate defending.
Wolves goalkeeper Zac Galea was immense between the sticks, producing several key saves.
But the deadlock was finally broken in the 74th minute when Moreton’s Zachary Kierpal pounced on a headed through ball, driving into the box and firing a precise low strike into the bottom corner.
Wynnum didn’t take long to respond. Just four minutes later, sustained pressure earned a corner.
The delivery found the unmarked Francis in the six-yard box, and the big No. 9 made no mistake, thundering a header home to level the scores.
The closing stages saw both teams push for a winner, with chances coming at either end in a frantic finale.
But neither side could land the knockout blow, and the points were shared.
The result sees Wynnum sitting ninth on the NPL Queensland ladder with eight points from eight games.
The Wolves now turn their attention to a crucial Australia Cup preliminary round tie on Wednesday at Carmichael Park against Gold Coast Knights, before hosting Eastern Suburbs on Saturday at 6.15pm.
Easts arrive unbeaten in five and boasting the league’s best goal difference, while Wynnum will look to build on this resilient performance.
