OUR LIONS MEN ARE HELD TO A STALEMATE IN AN ARDENT TOP-OF-THE-TABLE CLASH AT HOME
Alex Fiechtner’s brilliant second-half strike earned our Lions Men a hard-fought draw in a fiery clash at Luxury Paints Stadium.
Our Lions Men started strongly in a top-of-the-table clash with key points on the line. Jack Skinner made an immediate impact, forcing a reactive save from Josh Langdon. His fierce volley was parried onto the crossbar before his follow-up strike was blocked for a corner.
Joshua Brindell-South continued to add firepower, feinting inside before drilling a rising effort over the crossbar from distance. At the same time, our defence were on their toes dealing with the blistering pace of Godfrey Debele and David Bolongi.
Jackson Hart-Phillips showed brilliant pace to snub a fast counterattack before Shaun Carlos won the ball high and created a brilliant chance. A backheel from James Enticknap met Andy Pengelly, who dragged a left-footed strike wide.
Despite the promising start, Gold Coast Knights ultimately took the lead on the twenty-minute mark. David Bolongi slid in at the back post to finish after a sharp set-piece.
Shaun Carlos guided a slow-motion effort gracefully wide of the top left corner before dragging a sharp shot wide from a slender angle minutes later. Joe Duckworth created our best chance of the game, elegantly volleying a thunderbolt of a strike into the crossbar from the edge of the box.
Jack Skinner created our last chance of the half, but we entered the break a goal down at home.
We kicked off the second half with reinforced intent, driving forward with immediacy.
Alex Fiechtner brought us level with a glorious strike from range. Turning his defender from twenty-five yards, Fiechtner turned his sights on goal and buried a brutal dipping strike into the bottom right corner. A strike so powerful the goal frame jolted into the air.
Three direct attempts were all prevented as we looked to break the stalemate. Jack Skinner burst down the centre, but his effort was saved brilliantly. Finn Beakhurst saw his follow-up parried to the back post, where a third attempt was blocked for a corner.
Andy Pengelly came painfully close in the 85th minute, bursting into the box before aiming a low effort towards the near post. Joshua Langdon made a sensational save, palming the ball wide at the final moment.
Entering the 90th minute, Luke Broderick made a desperate late sliding challenge to prevent a deadly counterattack that saw us outnumbered.
Despite several late chances and a desperate desire to score, our Lions Men were held to our fourth consecutive 1-1 draw against Gold Coast Knights in the NPL.
Six points still separate us. We will meet Gold Coast Knights again on the final game of the season.
MATCH DETAILS
NPL Men 2024 Round #11
Lions FC 1 – 1 Gold Coast Knights
Luxury Paints Stadium, Richlands
NEXT MATCH
NPL Men 2024 Round #12
Lions FC vs. Peninsula Power
Luxury Paints Stadium, Richlands