NPL Men R4: One Point Each In Buderim

OUR LIONS MEN ARE FORCED TO SHARE THE SPOILS IN A TENSE 1-1 DRAW AT BALLINGER PARK

We stepped onto the field for the first time in almost a month under a setting sun at Ballinger Park. It was a slow start, and we struggled to create chances against a rigid Wanderers defence.

Our Lions Men created space and opportunity out wide, surging down the sidelines in search of a cross or cutback, but the hosts held their shape, and the chances failed to materialise.

While we hadn’t dominated enough to call the opening goal ‘against the run of play’, it was certainly unexpected as Kade McDougall curled a close-range freekick inside the right hand post with accuracy.

Our frustrations increased as we searched for an equaliser over the remaining twenty minutes. Sunshine Coast Wanderers didn’t hold back when it came to dispossessing us physically, and luck wasn’t in our favour in front of goal.

Fred Oyet blasted a close-range strike over the crossbar from agonisingly close range, and both Alex Fiechtner and Andy Pengelly saw chances fly astray.

We entered the interval trailing 1-0.

We kicked off the second half with a resurgence of energy and made sure the hosts felt stressed as we overwhelmed them over and over again in the final third.

Alex Fiechtner fired a poisonous volley over the crossbar from distance after flicking the ball over his marker to beat two men down the left flank!

Minutes after the hour mark, Andy Pengelly drilled home the equaliser from point-blank range after Alex Fiechtner kept the ball in play with an improvised backheeled flick from the byline.

63′ | 𝐆𝐎𝐎𝐎𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐋𝐋𝐋!!!

Andy Pengelly smashes home the equaliser from point-blank range after an improvised back-heel flick from Fiechtner met him in the centre 🏹🎯

𝐒𝐂𝐖 1 – 1 𝐋𝐈𝐎 #HeartPridePassion | #NPLQLD

— Lions F.C. (@lionsfc1) March 22, 2025

Fletcher McDonald and Jack Skinner both joined from the bench, playing their first minutes of the season after recovering from injury. Fletcher made a crucial block as the Wanderers looked to shoot from dangerous territory before forcing a fine save ten minutes later down the opposite end.

Mitch Hore was the next to mark his return from injury, almost scoring within minutes but guiding his fierce left-footed strike wide of the bottom right corner!

We forced many chances across a gruelling final ten minutes, sending wayward strikes over the crossbar and desperate shots blocked inside the box. The ball simply wouldn’t fall where we needed it to, and despite a massive effort in our first game back, we were forced to accept a 1-1 draw against the Wanderers.