Dogged FNQ Bulls hang on for victory
THE FNQ Bulls have opened their account in this season's Queensland State League with a 2-1 victory but only after surviving a fightback from a determined Bundaberg Spirit at Mareeba's Borzi Park on Saturday night.
The Bulls went 2-0 up after David Ruiz headed home a pinpoint corner midway through the second half and looked certain to increase their lead with George Koroma wreaking havoc down the left flank.
But they say 2-0 is the most dangerous score to lead by in soccer and the Spirit nearly showed why.
After the Bulls wasted a scoring opportunity at their end, the Spirit retaliated with a goal on the counter and forced the home side on the defensive for the final 15 minutes as it pushed for the equaliser.
Only a combination of grim defending, athletic keeping from Bulls custodian Angelo Serafin and the goalpost denied the Spirit its second goal.
The Bulls led 1-0 at halftime thanks to a timely finish from Nathan Bird.
Bulls assistant coach Tony Panetta, who took charge with head coach Peter Tokesi in Sydney, said his players worked hard for the win.
"The thing I was most happy with is that the boys dug in for the full 90 minutes," he said. "They were put under a lot of pressure in those last 20 minutes, but they hung in there and never stopped working hard.
"I don’t think you could really fault our backline. Guys like Alex Plowman and Victor (Madrid) were brilliant for us."
The Bulls’ defenders are likely to receive a more sustained work-out on Saturday night when fierce rivals the NQ Razorbacks make the trek to Borzi Park.
The Razorbacks had a 1-0 victory over Brisbane Strikers on Saturday.
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Determined: Bulls midfielder Dennis Allen attacks on Saturday. Picture: JIM HATCHMAN
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