Time to bounce back. After last week’s unjust defeat, The Reds are ready to unleash their Fury
Friday 10th December 7:30pm
Time to bounce back. After last week-s unjust defeat, The Reds are ready to unleash their Fury. Get down to Hindmarsh Stadium and be part of the action!
Football can be a cruel game sometimes and the difference between success and failure can depend on the smallest factors. For a while last weekend in Christchurch, it seemed that Adelaide United would close the gap on Brisbane at the top of the ladder.
Yet they ultimately came away with nothing. It was a defeat that was hard to swallow. Leading 1-0 at half-time against Wellington thanks to a 14th minute Sergio van Dijk header, The Reds looked good to keep the pressure on Roar.
However, after conceding an equaliser, the match turned seven minutes from time when referee Peter O’Leary wrongly sent off skipper Travis Dodd. A brave rearguard action came so close to securing a point, yet, they heartbreakingly succumbed to a Ben Sigmund header deep into stoppage time. It left Reds fans and players alike devastated.
However, while feeling massively hard done by, you won-t find Rini Coolen and his men sulking. Rather, they-ve simply dusted themselves down and used the disappointment to galvanise their spirit and their resolve.
Consequently, they go into this weekend-s fixture with Fury even more determined to win than ever. There are wrongs that need to be righted, and North Queensland Fury might just find themselves on the receiving end of the wrath of a very good football team this Friday. The Reds are boosted by the fact that Dodd-s red card has since been expunged and he is free to play this weekend.
However, while the Hyundai A-League table will tell you that Fury are lambs to the slaughter, their improved form suggests that this will, in fact, be no cakewalk for the home side. Indeed, before their recent home defeat to in-form Newcastle, Fury produced two astonishing derby performances on the road.
After a cracking 1-1 draw at leaders Brisbane – which, incidentally they were unlucky not to win – Franz Straka-s boys went one better and produced their best display of the campaign with a stunning 2-1 win against fierce rivals Gold Coast United.
While times remain tough in Townsville, these two results will at least stand them in good stead for a daunting trip to Hindmarsh Stadium. They-ll be without captain Ufuk Talay though, who is suspended after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season.
Though the clever money will be on the home side, the tussle between the two earlier in the Hyundai A-League 2010/11 season suggests that the Greens will definitely make things tough for their opponents.
Then, United had to toil for their narrow 3-2 win at Dairy Farmers Stadium. In the thriller, a cracking Marcos Flores strike cancelled out Isaka Cernak-s opener for Fury before The Reds added two goals early in the second half and then survived a late rally from the home side. With each game becoming increasingly important as the season progresses, they would happily take a similarly nail-biting win on Friday.
The game will have that bit of extra bite to it following news that The Reds have poached key Fury player Osama Malik. The midfield dynamo has agreed a two-year deal to return to the club he turned out for in 2008, starting in April next year.
Reds fans, last week was deeply disappointing but there is a long way to go and Brisbane Roar are still there for the overtaking, so get along to Hindmarsh Stadium and cheer your team on to a crucial victory against North Queensland Fury.
The Hyundai A-League 2010/11 season is really hotting up now, and, with each game your support becomes increasingly important. You can really make a difference!
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