Noosa Lions Football Club

On a cold evening at the Lions Den and with their season on the line, Noosa came away with 3 valuable points to keep their finals hopes alive.
Matt Thompson scored two late goals to give Noosa a much deserved 2-0 win over a second placed Woombye. The last time these sides met the game ended up in an exciting 4-4 draw with Noosa equalising in the dying seconds from the head of Noosa keeper Matt Holland.
The first half was a tense battle with Woombye pressing forward looking to open the scoring. Noosa struggled to get out of their own half and string together any kind of attack. Matt "Dutchy" Holland made some outstanding saves to keep the Lions in the game. The defensive trio of Michael Williams, Luke May and Stuart "Rabbit" Michaels were superb as they made every effort in keeping Woombye's strikers quiet. Woombye has had much success in front of goal this season and keeping a clean sheet against an in form strike force only credits Noosa's defensive work. New right midfield Peter Ede has been a breath of fresh air for the Lions over the last couple of weeks and he once again worked hard in defence and attack. Ede made some great runs down the right but was unlucky on some of his deliveries into the box and also an attempt he made on goal. Noosa's chances were very limited in the first half and they worked hard to keep the scores at 0-0 at half time.
The Lions came out a different side in the second half. Noosa began to dominate in the midfield with captain Stuart Ferris, Luke Willmott and Aaron Binskin holding some vital possession as well feeding strikers Ben Cahn and Matt Thompson. Cahn came into the match not entirely fit as he has been suffering with the flu over the last few days but his efforts were once again 100% regardless. The Lions attacking raids became more potent with Phill Massoud linking up well down the left with Thompson and Cahn but were unable to find enough room to fire a shot into the back of the net. With 15 minutes to go Ben Cahn picked the ball up due to a mix up between a Woombye defender and keeper on the goal line and cut back inside to find an unmarked Thompson who rocketed a shot into the net from close range. The Lions then stepped up another level in defence and attack. Woombye tried desperately to equalise but Noosa handled everything that they threw at them. With less than a couple of minutes left in the match a Phill Massoud throw in found Ferris who flicked a header into the path of Thompson. The Woombye keeper came out to claim it but Thompson tapped the ball around him which gave him an easy tap in and give Noosa a comfortable lead. From the resulting kick off the referee blew the whislte for full time and ended an impressive game for the Lions. Noosa will be hoping for some key results to go their way over the last couple of rounds for unlikely spot in the finals. Next week Noosa will face Kawana at the Lions den with both sides pusing for a spot in the top four. Next week's fixture is also Sponsors night and Noosa's last game of the season so come down and support the Lions.

Noosa Lions won their second league match in a row after defeating CSPU 3-1 away from home. The Lions hit the ground running early and put CSPU on the backfoot with some great movement and precise passing. CSPU struggled to break Noosa's defence as they were pinned deep in their own half. Noosa took the lead within the first 15 minutes when Matt Thompson broke down the right side and hit a low hard cross into the 6 yard box which captain Stuart Ferris stabbed into the roof of the net for his 6th goal of the season and give Noosa a 1-0 lead. The Lions found a second shortly after when Matt Thompson hit a cracking shot from outside the 18 yard box which left the keeper strandard as well as hit the post, luckily the rebound found the feet of Noosa's Peter Ede who calmly slotted the ball into the goal for his first 1st division goal of the season after scoring regulary for reserve grade all year. Thompson changed from provider to goal scorer when he was put through on goal from a clever through ball from fellow striker Ben Cahn which he finished well.
The Lions went into the break 3-0 and coach Terry Wilcomes asked the players to keep up the pressure but unfortunately Noosa took the foot off the pedal. CSPU still struggled to create any chances as Noosa continued to break forward but lacked the final pass and finish. Matt Thompson came close for his second after shooting over the bar from close range. Michael Williams and Ben Cahn also hit shots over the bar after some great indivdual work. Noosa conceded a late goal after a lucky deflection off the post found a CSPU midfielder who slammed the ball between Lions defenders and goal keeper Matt Holland.

On Saturday evening the Noosa Lions played away at championship chasing Maroochydore. They left with their tales firmly between their legs after being given a painful footballing lesson by a side that remains unbeaten this season.
Outplayed and out muscled in virtually every area of the game, the Lions were unable to put any pressure at all on the well drilled Maroochydore defence. Matt Thompson, the Lions’ free scoring striker hardly had a sniff at goal all night. He worked hard to make openings, but poor service and good defensive organisation by the home team denied him any opportunities to display his speed and talent.
For long periods of the first half The Lions’ midfield appeared to be being overrun. Skipper Stuart Ferris worked tirelessly to shore up the holes, but to no avail. Youngsters Dan Upton, Sam Tettmar and Hugh Mills tried their hardest, but were constantly out manoeuvred and out muscled by the vastly more experienced Maroochydore players. This put huge pressure on the Noosa defence, who tried manfully to deal with wave after wave of Maroochydore attacks.
Three times in the first half the Lions’ defence was breached. Each goal was well conceived and expertly taken showing exactly why The Maroochydore Swans are firm favourites to take out the championship. Matt Holland in Goal made some excellent saves, but even his heroics were unable to keep the Maroochydore hordes at bay.
Down three goals to nil at half time, Noosa might have been forgiven for giving up. To their credit they played hard right to the end, but to no avail. Unable to make an impression on the home team’s goal, all that was left was to ensure that they would not be overrun by an avalanche. Stuart Michael, Luke May and Michael Williams worked tirelessly to this end repulsing attack after attack. Matt Holland had to go off with a tight hamstring, but only after conceding and very nearly saving a penalty. That this was the only concession of the second half says much for spirit within the Noosa squad, typified by the wholehearted play of Ben Cahn and substitute Matty Adams, neither of whom were prepared to stop running. The Noosa Lions were bloodied but unbowed.
Noosa’s remaining games are all against teams in the lower half of the table, thus giving them a good chance to finish the season on a high note.

After five games on the road The Noosa Lions celebrated a return to their den with a stunning 4-1 win over Caboolture.
Playing with passion and pride from the start, The Lions went into an early lead. After only five minutes Ben Cahn put Matt Thompson through and he tickled the ball past the stranded Caboolture keeper for the first goal. The lions then dominated for the next twenty minutes without being able to score. Inspirational skipper Stuart Ferris once gain drove his team forward. Ably supported by fellow midfielders Luke Willmott and Aaron Binskin, Ferris with his energy, drive and skill took the game away from the visitors. Just when it seemed that Caboolture would be over run, they broke away down the left and scored. How a game can change.
From this moment on until well into the second half the game see sawed from end to end with both teams hitting the woodwork and having other opportunities to score. As the uncompromising Caboolture defence was making it hard for the Lions to score, so the Lions defence was denying their opposition time and space. Stand out defender Michael Williams was his usual dependable self, making crucial tackles and interceptions all around the field. His support crew of the speedy Stuart Michaels and hard tackling Luke May did well to keep the Caboolture forwards at bay, and when they did have a chance to score from a direct free kick, goalkeeper Matt Holland made a spectacular leap across his goal to keep the ball out.
With both teams finding it hard to break the other down another draw for the Lions looked likely. However, a delightful bit of skill from Cahn once again put Thompson in, and he made no mistake with the finish. Now Noosa really began to turn on the style. The confidence and belief of the first twenty minutes returned. Runs down the wings by Dan Upton and debutant starter Hugh Mills started to pull the Caboolture defence apart. Indeed, it was after one such run that Ferris was able to set up the impressive Thompson for his third goal of the game. He still had plenty to do when he received the ball, but with determination and no little skill he engineered some space and hammered the ball joyously home. It didn’t end there, with only seconds remaining Ferris got his reward for all his hard work with a well taken goal after more good work from the impressive Cahn put him in the clear.
Much credit for this win must go to manager Terry Wilcomes and his coaching staff who have had a difficult time recently with injuries, suspensions, and withdrawals. The team put out by Wilcomes on Saturday night were a credit to both him and the club.
This four goals to one win delighted the Noosa supporters who gave the team a rousing reception as they wearily left the field.

A second successive one nil loss, this time to Nambour and Yandina United, for The Noosa Lions makes it all but impossible for them to make the top four season’s end playoffs.
On a damp pitch, but on a mercifully dry evening, The Lions did their very best to get a win. Playing with spirit and energy and lots of skill they took the game to their hosts from kick off. Skipper Stuart Ferris, ably supported by Nicol Watson and first time starter Aaron Binskin in midfield, drove the team forward. Good saves from the NYU keeper, last ditch tackles from their resolute defenders, clearances off the line and the ball hitting the post all contributed to the first half finishing goalless.
The pattern of the second half was much the same. Stand out defender Luke May continually thwarted the NYU attackers and drove the ball forward. Continuous heckling from a boisterous but good humoured crowd seemed to drive him to bigger and better plays. The Lions pressed hard but could not find the cutting edge to produce a goal. Dan Upton and Ben Cahn, who produced some delightful touches, were unable to unlock the miserly NYU defence. Luke Willmot took some time to settle into his new position at right wing back, but once he got the hang of it he produced his usual combative performance, so much so that once again he received a yellow card for yet another tackle from behind. At the back defenders Michael Williams and Stuart Michael successfully denied the NYU attack and debutant goalkeeper Kurt Wolski dealt capably with anything that came his way.
Just like last week, it was one moment of lapsed concentration and an admittedly good finish by the NYU's Sam Bennett that undid the Lions. A swift attack down a strangely unguarded left hand side let in the striker for an unstoppable shot into the roof of the net.
The Lions tried hard to get back on terms but it was not to be. Shots went wide or were well stopped by the NYU keeper. Although this loss leaves the Lions near the foot of the table they can take heart from the fact that they have been competitive and have not been outplayed in their recent matches.
Next week sees the return of striker Matt Thompson after suspension. Let’s hope that that his added pace and finishing power will lead the Lions back to winning ways.

The recent march of The Noosa Lions’ up the table was brought to an abrupt end by a well organised Beegees team at The Glasshouse sports ground on Saturday night. After six unbeaten games The Lions went down disappointingly 1-0 in a scrappy and disjointed game.
Starting with only ten men, defender Patrick Dennehy being delayed, The Lions did really well not to be over run in the first few minutes. Defenders Luke May, bravely playing through a leg injury, and Stuart Michael keeping the rampant Beegees attack at bay.
Once a full complement had been restored The Lions began to play some decent football, putting together moves that led to chances for Michael Williams, Jackie Han and Dan Upton. Unfortunately they met a Beegees keeper in sparkling form who managed to block and parry the Lions’ attacks.
Half time arrived with the score 0-0. The second half saw both teams step up with efforts on goal. The excellent Nicol Watson hit the bar and headed narrowly over, and at the other end keeper Matt ‘Dutchy’ Holland was relieved to see several Beegees’ efforts go wide. Lions’ midfielders, skipper Stuart Ferris and Phil Massoud worked tirelessy to create chances for Noosa front men Ben Cahn and Dan Upton, but the ball just would not fall in the right place at the right time. Despite numerous chances for both teams it looked like a final score of 0-0.
Then disaster struck. A low free kick was swung into the area, the ball skimmed off the head of a Beegees attacker and flew towards the goal. ‘Dutchy’ looked to have the ball under control but he could only parry it into the top corner of the goal.
With only minutes to go The Lions threw everything forward with everyone pushing on goal. A free kick was awarded, and recent late goal hero ‘dutchy’ Holland stepped to repeat his heroics of a few weeks ago. His shot went close, but just wide, and the game was over.
With tough games still to come the Lions will now have to work very hard to make the top four playoffs.

The Noosa Lions extended their unbeaten run to six on a chilly night in Buderim. But it might have been so different. A lacklustre start saw Buderim take an early lead with a crisp shot across Lions keeper ‘Dutchy’ Holland that nestled in the bottom corner of the net. The Lions responded with vigour but were unable to break down a physical Buderim defence. As the half progressed the speedy Buderim forwards started to make inroads into The Lions, but sturdy defence by Michael Williams and his fellow defenders Luke May and Stuart Michael kept the rampant Buderim attackers at bay. The Lions went into half time only one goal down, but it could, indeed it should, have been much worse.
At half time Lions manager Terry Wilcomes must have given the team an inspirational talk. They looked a different team. Denying the Buderim midfield space and time the Lions midfield and attack started to take control. Nicol Watson, skipper Stuart Ferris and Luke Willmott imposed themselves in midfield and began to create chances for Matt Thompson and Ben Cahn. After a scare in the Lions goal that was expertly dealt with by Holland, play switched to the other end. Cahn won a free kick, Dan Upton swung the ball into the danger area and Thompson bravely headed home. The lions had several appeals for penalties turned down as they pressed for a winner. As the game moved into the last quarter the Lions took the lead with a really beautiful goal. The ball was played out of defence to wide man Jack Han, he ran hard at the defence and expertly squared to Thompson who calmly slotted home. Thompson’s third was a carbon copy of his second. Great work again by Han left Thompson in the clear for a clinical finish. After a great hatrick, sadly Thompson’s night didn’t end there. With minutes left on the clock the referee saw fit to send him off for something he must have said.
A great win for the Lions sees them rise up the table and look to challenge for an all important top four spot.

On Saturday evening the mighty noosa lions travelled down the motorway to face kawana, it what shaped to be an all important match in the fight for top four positions. The first half was a tightly contested affair with both teams having multiple chances on goal. For noosa, good wide play form dan upton and phil massoud proved to be vital in creating chances for both strikers (Matt Thompson & Ben Cahn), however several offside decisions and a few wasted opportunities left the lions locked at 0-0 at the break. Lions coach Terry Wilcomes was not too dissapointed with this result as the noosa team ran against, what can only be described as gail forced winds in the first period.

Noosa started the bettter in the second half and took adavantage of the strong tail wind to put several shots on goal, and within the first 3 mintues found themselves up thanks to a long range shot from Jack Ji-Sung which took a wicked deflection to beat the keeper, much to the delight of the noosa faithful. Noosa built on their strong possesional play and created 3 more clear cut chances on for the final shot being squandered. And, as has been the case many times this year noosa where made to rue missed opportunities as Kawana took advantage of the over-committed noosa team to find themselves an equaliser after 75mins. Over the final 15 mins both teams had chances to win the match but some good saves from the kawana keeper and a few from noosa own Matt Holland proved too strong for the attacking weapons of the respective sides. Another draw for the noosa lions, and although unbeaten in 5 games now they will have to win some games if they want to make up for some poor early season games.

In the reserve grade game the noosa lions where played off the park in the first half, with kawana displaying dominant possesion and superior creativity. Although at the break noosa only found themseleves at 1-1, which in reality is lucky. Noosa found the equaliser through a defensive lapse, with noosa's forward Peter Ede scoring his 5 of the season slotting home after rounding the keeper. Lions reserve coach Sean Duncan kicked his chargers up the backside at half time and scared them into action.

The second period was the complete reverse of the first half, with noosa dominating possesion and creating chances for their forwards to finish off, and after 60 mins noosa took the lead after some good build up play through the middle of the park. The final 25 mins of the match saw opportunities for both Kawana and noosa, however in the final few minutes of the match, kawana took the ball down the left flank and then finished a solid strike from the edge of the area. The game finished in a draw which in the end, was a fair result given the tale of two halves that occured. Both noosa teams have a well earned Bye weekend this weekend, and then face the inform Buderim side the following week. Come support the lions in the second half of the season as they love the support from the crowd as they look to storm towards the finals series.

Noosa Reserve Grade had another disappointing result by going down 7-1 to front runners Woombye. Peter Ede continued his goal scoring run notching his 4th goal for the season.

Noosa Lions looked to consolidate their league position on saturday night with a game at the Lions Den against an under acheiving Caloundra outfit. Noosa started the stronger of the two teams and had many chances to open the scoring, most noteably chances to Michael Williams, Matt Thompson, Nicol Watson all with headers from corners inside the 6 yard box that where unable to be finished off. The first half continued in this fashion, with noosa holding the majority of the possesion and controlling play only to squander chances in front of goal. It was poised for an interesting second half locked at 0-0 at the break. 

The second stanza began as the last had finished with solid defence, great passing through the middle and attacking play from wingers alike. Noosa pushed for the break through and found it on 60mins with good passing through the middle of the park resulting in a cross from winger Sam Tettmar (although more of a bobbling pass!) which fooled the Caloundra defence finding it's way to Ben Cahn, who's shot/turned cross fell to Thompson knocking the ball home from around 10 yards. 1-0 Noosa. This was the start of a period of heavy pressure for the visiting team who where finding it difficult to break down the noosa attacks, resorting to long balls from the defence to relieve the pressure.  Although Noosa where again made to rue missed opportunities when the ball was given away in the midfield and the visitors broke forward in numbers pushing the ball out to the right where the Caloundra winger drilled home a low driven shot from the edge of the area. 1-1. The final 15 mins was end to end football as both teams had chances to take the victory however none where taken and Noosa will have to look forward to next weeks clash with league frontrunners woombye to take 3 points, with a strong focus on finishing the opportunities they create the order of the week!

Reserve match report - TBA

Noosa returned to winning ways after beating Gympie 1-0 away from home. Noosa welcomed back Luke May after he returned to the side for the first time since being injured in the Buderim match way back on the 1st of April. On a bitterly cold night Noosa looked in good form and controlled the game from start to finish. Noosa won a early corner after some good work from Sam Tettmar down the right wing. This corner led to the first goal after Michael Williams struck the ball through a sea of legs after the ball fell to him from a Nicol Watson header. Noosa continued to look for a second before half time but some poor final passes broke down any of the Lions attacks. Nicol Watson tried twice to add his name to the scoresheet with some great runs through midfield which resulted in two powerful long range efforts which unfortunately were just off target.
Noosa started the second half where they left off and continued to dominate possession. Ben Cahn was looking to be in great form and caused havoc for the Miners defenders who assured he was tightly marked. Phill Massoud was also playing well and was crossing some dangerous balls into the box which Gympie struggled to clear. The Noosa midfield trio of Nicol Watson, Luke Willmott and Stuart Ferris battled hard to take control and was linking up with strikers Josh Conlan and Ben Cahn. Cahn had a great opportunity to add his second goal of the season after he turned his man inside out but fluffed his shot straight into the keepers hands. The Miners keeper Kurt Wolski (ex Noosa keeper) was called into action again soon after when Luke May crossed a ball which Massoud shot from close range but Wolski made an outstanding save to keep the scores at 1-0. Gympie had a late chance to snatch a draw but the Miners winger skied his shot over the bar from inside the box. Noosa held on for a much deserved victory.

Noosa Reserves lost 2-0 to a well drilled Gympie side. Noosa struggled to get out of their own half and were made to pay after the Miners scored from a corner which was not cleared off the line. Gympie continued to control the game and had more oppotunities to score more goals but only went into the break 1-0 up.
The second half saw the introduction of Matt Holland up front which saw Noosa look a lot more dangerous as he started to direct Noosa's attacking raids. But the next goal scored was for Gympie and Noosa found it difficult to get back into the game.

Noosa’s miserable form continued on Saturday night after losing 3-0 to last year’s runners up Maroochydore Swans at the Lions Den.

Noosa were without several regular first team players due to injuries and suspensions. The make shift team played well together in the first half and held out Maroochydore’s attacking raids to go into the break 0-0. Noosa struggled to create any chances but competed well and started to put together some well worked moves involving Ben Cahn, Dan Upton and the Lions midfield.

The second half started similar to the first and the Lions continued prove tough to break but Noosa could not hold out forever. Maroochydore eventually took the lead after a ball luckily fell to the head of Swans striker Adam Jeffs from close range. Maroochydore added their second shortly after and Noosa continued to fight but constantly made errors to make things harder for themselves. Maroochydore continued their dominance and eventually scored their third goal after a long range effort found the bottom corner of the net. Noosa will look to this weekend’s match against Gympie to revive their season and gain some much needed confidence.

Noosa Reserves Grade also went down 3-0 to a well drilled Maroochydore side. Noosa conceded all three goals within the first 20 mins. Noosa regained composure and started to look like a much more structured side. Shaun Tobin was called in to play up front after he has been in great form for the Noosa 3^rd division team. Noosa had their own chances to open their tally but could not finish even though they dominated possession for the majority. Maroochydore held on and kept a clean sheet and took all 3 points.

Noosa suffered their second defeat in row after a tough match against Caboolture away. Noosa started brightly and were making some good runs into Caboolture's final third. The Lions early pressure paid off after 15 minutes when Noosa striker Dan Upton shot from an acute angle to force the keeper into a save which fell in favour of Stuart Ferris, who tapped in from close range for his first goal of the season. Noosa continued to apply the pressure with Ben Cahn and Dan upton testing the keeper. Upton was unlucky not to score after he shot just over the bar after some good work from Sam Tettmar down the right wing who found Upton free in the box. Phill Massoud then received a bad cut above his eye when he went up for a header with a Caboolture player. Noosa had to play with 10 men for 5 mins while Massoud received treatment. Caboolture then scored their opening goal as their striker shot through Matt Holland and some Noosa defenders' legs. The scores remained at 1-1 at the break.

Caboolture came out with more intensity in the second  half and started looking to add to their tally. Noosa defence was holding strong and the Lions looked dangerous on the rare oppotunity. Caboolture eventually did find their second goal from a well taken header from their captain which squeezed past Matt Holland's gloves and the post. Noosa then started to look for an equaliser with Phill Massoud nearly pulling off one of his specials with a 20 yard thunderbolt which was well saved by the Caboolture keeper. Ferris also had another couple of opportunities but could not add to his goal after some good build up work from Ben Cahn and Luke Willmott on both occasions. Caboolture then added their third after their captain found his second goal of the  night after a cross from their winger was not cleared which allowed the Caboolture captain to tap in from close range. Caboolture held on for a 3-1 victory.

Noosa Reserves played out a 3-3 draw with Caboolture. Noosa striker Josh Conlan scored a hat trick which has brought his tally for the season to 4. His first goal came in the first 10 minutes of the game but Caboolture then equalised not long after. Josh finished his second after a cross from Paul Cottage found him free at the back post. The game was then halted for at least 30 mins as one of their Caboolture players fell awkwardly and broke his ankle. After he was treated by the Ambulance he was taken to hospital and the game resumed. The scores stayed at 2-1 at half time.

The second half started well for the Lions and the team looked settled in defence but struggled to create anything up front. Caboolture then found an equaliser from inside the box and then took the lead not long after that. Noosa won a free kick just outside of the area which Conlan completed his hat trick thanks to an error from the Caboolture keeper. Both teams had oppotunities to take all three points but could not finish off the game.

On Wednesday night Noosa took on NYU which proved to be a tough encounter for the Lions as NYU gained all 3 points.

Noosa came into the game after having 3 weeks off due to the wet weather and break for Easter holidays. The Lions last outing was a win against defending premiers Buderim on the 1^st of April.

The first 20 mins of the game Noosa pushed forward and was holding plenty of possession in NYU’s defensive third but lacked the final ball or shot to open the nights scoring. This would come back to haunt the Lions as NYU attacked and scored as Noosa could not clear their lines.

This inspired Noosa to start pushing further forward and the Lions started to look very threatening with Matt Thompson getting into clear shooting space on a couple of occasions. He was unable to convert these opportunities but luckily Noosa was able to level the score shortly after through Phill Massoud as he stabbed the ball in the back of the net from close range. Noosa started to build in confidence and were looking to add a second but it was not the case as NYU took the advantage by pouncing on some poor defensive work which NYU right winger Sean McCarthy calmly finished. NYU took a 2-1 lead into the halftime break.

The second half saw Noosa dominate a lot of the possession but lacked creativity in the final third. Noosa looked solid at the back and NYU rarely threatened in the second half with Pat Dennehy, Michael Williams and Stuart Michael holding strong for the Lions.

Noosa striker Ben Cahn was linking up with midfielders Dan Upton, Stuart Ferris, Luke Willmott and Phill Massoud but NYU was quick to cut out any attacking moves and Noosa could not produce any clear opportunities.

Things went from bad to worse for the Lions as striker Matt Thompson received a straight red which meant Noosa needed to reshuffle. Sam Tettmar was bought on for Dan Upton as Stuart Ferris pushed upfront alongside Ben Cahn and Michael Williams started going forward from his right back position in search of an equaliser. NYU held on for a 2-1 win which has left the Lions looking for 3 points against Caboolture which will be a tough away trip this Saturday.

Noosa Reserve Grade had a convincing win over a top of the table of NYU side. From the starting whistle Noosa looked to take control of the game and were rewarded after 15 mins when Peter Ede finished well from inside the area. NYU equalised when Noosa gave a away a very cheap corner which the NYU striker finished well. Peter Ede then furthered his tally with another goal. Phil Oysten, Matty Adams and Scott Russell were solid at the back for the Lions as well with Aaron Binskin, Luis Canales and Hughie Mills in the centre of the park. NYU's goalkeeper was sent off  after taking out Peter Ede when Ede tried to beat him when he came outside his area to clear a ball. This caused NYU to use one of their substitutions and re-shuffle their line up. Noosa the went 3-1 up through a well taken goal from Luis Canales and took the lead into the break.

NYU started the second half and found the back of the net to bring the scores to the 3-2. Matt Holland made a cameo appearance off the bench and started up front. His experience was starting to help direct Noosa's attacking raids and this paid off for the Lions when Phill Oysten played a sensational ball out to Paul Cottage who then fed a great ball into Holland who finished well after making a great run into space. Josh Conlan made it 5-2 after finishing well as he lost his man and found space to give himself a clear opporutnity just inside the area. Noosa will look to the game against Caboolture on the 25th to continue their good run.

On wednesday night the Noosa 1st and Reserve grade took on Buderim Wanderers Football club (the premiers and champions from the previous 2 seasons) at the lions den. In the first grade match noosa looked to re-coup their losses after a dissaointing loss to Beerwah on saturday evening. Noosa settled into the game early on and looked the better of the two teams in early exchanges. Strikers Matt Thompson and Ben Cahn carved out opportunities when combining wih midfielders going forward and solid defense from Patty Dennehey, Luke May and Stuart Michaels proved tough to crack. The breakthrough came in the 25th min after a good clearance from Matt Holland was headed forward by Michael Williams, Matt Thompson surged onto the ball and squared it for fellow striker Ben Cahn to slot home. Noosa was bouyed by the goal and held most of the possesion gaining several corners and free kicks in attacking positions. On 37th mins a low driven corner from Luke Willmott picked out the flying Michael Williams at the near post which was smashed home by one of the most reliable and polished noggins in coast football. Noosa went into the break full of confidence after a strong first half display.However in the second half noosa looked slightly of pace in comparison to the first half and Buderim held the majority of the posession. Noosa looked to find the forwards when breaking from the defense but found it difficult as the buderim team upped the tempo and passed with intent and precision. However Noosa worked extremely hard in defense and snuffed out any chances the reigning premier had, however the inevitable goal came with 20min remaining after a shot was deflected passed the already committed Dutchy Holland. This made for interesting viweing for the final 20 mins, but Buderim pushed on another midfielder and pressed for the equaliser, however the noosa defense and midfield stood strong to run out 2-1 winners on the night. Noosa now look to saturdays game against NYU to consolidate their league standings after gaining their first points of the season.

In the reserve grade game the noosa side ended up loosing 4-1 to a well drilled Buderim side, however the score line did not reflect the chances and possesion that the noosa side had during a tightly fought affair. On 20mins Buderim striker finished well into the bottom left corner in a tight space, then noosa hit back through a Phil Massoud special from the edge of the area. Noosa held most of the possesion and squandered many chances in the rest of the first half. However in the second stanza Buderim where clinical in front of goals putting 3 more past fill in keeper Phil Oysten. Noosa Coach Sean Duncan must have felt that his side where hard done by and no doubt will be looking at shooting practice and linking play during the next few trainings sessions.

The noosa Boys face NYU (weather permitting) on saturday night 4 & 6pm @ the Lions Den so come down and support your team as we progress through the season. 

On Saturday evening the Noosa Lions FC took on the Beerwah football club who where one of only two teams who had a run last week due to the weather. This was evident from the opening whistle as the visitors looked hungrier and more precise with their passing and tackling. On a windy night the visitors used the strong winds to thier advantage in the first half, knowing that they would have the difficult task of running into it in the second stanza. With only a few chances in the first half, the beerwah team would have felt perhaps dissapointed that they where not in front after they held most of the posession. Noosa carved out 3 good opportunities in the first half with 2 break aways and a shot from the edge of the area wasted. The second half was a much tighter affair, with both teams attempting to maintain possesion to assert some dominance, and on the 65 min mark beerwah found themselves in front after a corner, the ball was cleared from the initial corner, but the ball fell to a beerwah player who slotted it into the bottom right corner of the net and past the despairing Dutchy Holland for the visitors to take the lead. This was incentive for noosa to push forward and look for the equaliser, however noosa's final pass and finishing let them down when it counted and along with some silly defensive lapses allowed for a few tense counter attacking moments for the home supporters. However it finished 1-0 to beerwah on the night and will show the noosa boys that training hard and playing with high intensity is needed to win any games this season.

In the earlier match the reserve grades clashed at the lions den, and the result was a 1-1 draw between what can only be described as two much improved teams from the sides that where fielded last season. The football was of a high quality and firm quick passing was the order of the day, both team looked to assert themselves. It took a delightful Peter ede long range shot/spray to beat the beerwah keeper in the 30th minute to break the deadlock. Leading at the break, noosa coach sean duncan was pleased with his chargers and looking for an increase in intensity for the remaining time, however after a huge rant form their coach the beerwah team also upped the anti for the second period of time. Swift moves down the sides for much of the second half proved too much for the noosa team to handle and they eventually conceded after 70mins. The final 20 proved to be an end to end affair with no team able to take all three points and start their season in winning fashion.

This wednesday the 1st and 2nd grades are at home against last years champions and prmiers Buderim wanderers, forst grade will be looking to get off the mark with their first win and send a signal to the rest of the competition that they mean business, whilst resevres will look to steadily build on their positive start to the 2009 season.

Results from the 1st division games on the weekend where:

NYU 2 - Coolum 1

Kawana 4 - Gympie 1

Woombye 4 - Caloundra 0

Buderim 2 - Caboolture 1

Noosa 0 - Beerwah 1

(Maroochydore bye)