Zane North struck that late winner in our first game at Luxury Paints Stadium, sending our Lions Men to the top of Group F
Our first game of 2026 at Luxury Paints Stadium delivered the narrative. New threads, perfect pitch, buzzing crowd, and a late winner to steal the show. Zane North backflipping. Jerson Lagos debut. Nine men (due to injuries) fighting to hold the victory. And three points that put us top of Group F.
It was a thoroughly controlled and dominant first half. The scoreline might have convinced you the contest was close, but it was one-way traffic for the majority of the first half. Liam Ponting saw two strong early efforts threaten the goal; one saved, and one inches off target after slicing inside on the edge of the box.
Tommy Jarrard directed a pinpoint header towards the bottom left corner after a whipped cross, but his effort was scrambled clear before it could cross the line. Wolves, in their defensive shape, took their opportunities when they could counter, and a Cher Deng goal-line header prevented an opening goal that would certainly have been against the run of play.
At times, it resembled a 7-2-1 out of possession, and our Lions Men had to work carefully to fashion openings and create space. The best opportunities seemed to come via sinking crosses, and Sander Griggs poked another header over the crossbar after a strong linkup between Liam and Blair Ponting.
Mitch Hore fired a blank into the keeper, and Sander made a stunning sliding challenge to prevent a rare opportunity. The half ended goalless, and we entered the break with a lock to pick.
We picked up where we left off when play resumed. Cher Deng struck a header so powerful that it hit the grass and bounced over the crossbar from the centre of the box.
Cardiff Pond made a stunning reflex save at his near post, reacting quickly to parry a dipping, deflected effort over the top left corner and away from the back of the net. A crucial stop as Wolves looked to snatch the opening goal.
Alex Fiechtner made a sly diagonal run off the shoulder, bearing down on goal from the right before tapping the ball away from a challenge and arrowing a powerful effort over the crossbar from a tight angle. Harvey Pope made a fantastic sliding challenge to prevent another counterattack, and Jerson Lagos stepped onto the field to make his debut. And to make a difference.
With twelve minutes remaining, Wolves struck the upright post in what looked a certain goal. The goal frame provided relief, and we carried on hunting for the breakthrough. Zane North, fresh from the bench, made a smart challenge to win possession and prevent an overload, and our Lions Men entered the final five minutes still hunting for the goal that would send them top of the ladder.
Naturally, that goal was found via a cross-to-header combination. Two super subs linked up to get the job done!
Jerson Lagos clipped the ball over an attempted tackle down the left flank before hooking a sharp left-footed cross into the danger zone. And with immense poise and timing, Zane North nodded the ball across the keeper and into the upper left corner to break the deadlock!
86′ | 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐋𝐋𝐋!!!
ZANE NORTH PICKS THE LOCK!!! A BRILLIANT CUSHIONED HEADER. A STUNNING CROSS FROM JERSON LAGOS. WE LEAD AT LAST 🔥
𝐋𝐈𝐎 1 – 0 𝐖𝐎𝐋#HeartPridePassion | #NPLQLD
— Lions FC (@lionsfc1) January 30, 2026
A beautiful goal. A stunning combination. And a 1-0 lead with four minutes remaining.
Simple? No.
With all three of our substitute windows used, nobody could replace Liam Ponting when he limped off injured in the 89th minute. We would be forced to play with 10 while Wolves threw the kitchen sink at us in search of an equaliser.
Cool. But when Luke Broderick was forced off injured two minutes later, we found ourselves holding the fort with nine men for the final five minutes of added time.
It was intense, demanding, and stressful to watch, but our Lions Men held strong and true, seeing out a brilliant 1-0 victory at home.
𝐅𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 | Luxury Paints Stadium, we have missed you.
A late beauty header from Zane North. A unified, focused, and persistent performance. Top of Group F 👊#HeartPridePassion pic.twitter.com/o6slB12QQD
— Lions FC (@lionsfc1) January 30, 2026
Dan Barber shared his thoughts on the performance, highlighting the strong character amongst the boys.
“I’m really pleased for the players, it was an extremely tough game,” he said. ‘Wolves came here and made it really tough to break down. They were really organised defensively.
“We had to dig deep, in particular in the end there, it was pleasing to see two of the substitutes combined for the winning goal. Yeah, we kicked on that with six points in a good position, hopefully to get into the quarter finals.
“As we touched on briefly last week, it shows the character and the resilience we’ve got within the squad this year, and obviously, we’d used our substitutes by that point [and had to see out the game with nine players]. So it was a point where we had to reshuffle a couple of things, and we probably played a system we wouldn’t normally, but at the end of the day, it’s a results business, and I’m pleased and proud of the boys.
“I’d like to thank the crowd that we’re here, it’s a really exciting crowd on a Friday night. So it was a good boost to have around the ground, with some junior players, who are seen as well. So hopefully they can continue to support them, and we can make them proud with good performances like that.”
MATCH DETAILS:
Kappa Pro Series: Round 2
Lions FC 1 – 0 Wynnum Wolves
Goalscorers:
Zane North 86′
