Brisbane Roar went down 3-2 to competition leaders Gold Coast Knights on Friday night at A.J. Kelly Park in the NPL Queensland.
The Roar held out the first-placed side and put up a good fight to only lose by one goal, just missing out on sharing the points.
15-year-old Quinn MacNicol made his NPL debut on the night, before travelling to the Fraser Coast to score a goal in the pre-season exhibition game against Wide Bay Select on Sunday.
The Knights opened the scoring early on, but the Roar were quick to respond with a close-range header by Ayom Majok in the 14th minute.
Gold Coast found another goal right after the break, and then again int the 53rd minute to make it 3-1.
Brisbane kept up the effort though, with Cher Deng scoring a header off a corner to attempt the comeback.
Macnicol hit the post in the 90th minute, but the match saw the Knights secure the three points.
Head Coach Owen Baker was proud of his team’s performance on Friday night considering having a youthful team against a strong Gold Coast outfit.
“There were plenty of positives to take from Friday night’s performance, it’s never easy when you concede early on. But the response was fantastic, we were able to put some pressure on Gold Coast Knights and got the reward with a goal,” Baker said.
“Neither team was able to get full control of the game, which showed how difficult we made it for the Knights. They are a quality outfit and, on the night, got the win, but considering how youthful we were, I was proud with how the boys approached the game,” he added.
Baker reflected on young talent Quinn MacNicol, and is excited by what his future holds.
“Quinn is a very exciting young talent, but more importantly a great young lad with a big heart, good work ethic, and special personality,” he said.
“It’s amazing he’s getting the opportunity to test himself with the A league boys. To score a goal for them was the icing on the cake on a great weekend for Quinn after debuting in the NPL game on Friday, I’m sure we will see plenty more from this boy if he continues to work hard.”
The Roar take on the Eastern Suburbs on Sunday 30 July at Heath Park where they will look to gain points against a twelfth-placed side.
KO 5pm. Be there to support your Roar!
