NPLM Round #7: A Hard-Fought Win at Wolter Park

LIONS MEN OVERCOME INTENSE SECOND TO EARN VICTORY AT WOLTER PARK

Our Lions Men secured a significant 4-2 victory with ten men after a frenetic second half that tested our resilience.

A blistering start saw our Lions Men breach the back of the net inside thirty seconds. A brilliant clipped cross from Joe Duckworth met a measured volley into the bottom right corner, but Alex Fiechtner’s opening goal was ruled out for offside.

It certainly set the tone, however.

Andy Pengelly struck the bottom left post with a powerful volley before the hosts did the same thing down the opposite end. We kept knocking on the Moreton City Excelsior defence until Alex Fiechtner broke the deadlock with precision.

Skirting across the edge of the box, Fiechtner fired a venomous effort under the keeper’s arms to give us a well-deserved breakthrough. Two minutes later, Andy Pengelly doubled our lead with a composed first-time finish into the bottom left corner.

After the thirtieth minute, Pengelly made it three-nil with a well-placed finish from the centre of the box. After an utterly dominant start on the road, we entered the break with a 3-0 lead.

The second half followed a completely different script.

Our control was tested when the hosts were awarded an early penalty in the second half. A sharp finish from Marquez Walters to pull a goal back.

Alex Fiechtner appeared to put the game to bed ten minutes later, soaring down the left flank before drilling the ball across goal and into the bottom left corner. Minutes later, the game erupted into chaos.

A flurry of shots and headers ended with a sharp whistle that signalled to the penalty spot. Jack Skinner was shown a straight red card for handling the ball on the goal-line, and Marquez Walters once again stood over the penalty spot.

Same direction, same outcome, and a lifeline for the hosts.

Alex Fiechtner came close to cementing three points late in the game, rounding the keeper with a heavy touch that allowed the nearest defender to clear the danger.

Cardiff Pond made his mark in the final minutes, extending himself at full stretch to make a remarkable diving save against a powerful Marquez Walters freekick.

Composed defending helped us see out the match.