By M.McGRATH - December 2, 2009 On loan NQ Fury flyer David Williams has dismissed any immediate talk regarding future contracts & is not currently concerned where his football journey will take him beyond the 2009/10 Hyundai A-League season. Williams impressive for Fury has recently been in absolutely scintillating form & as a consequence has emerged as a genuine target for rival A-League clubs whilst a return to Europe cannot be ruled out.
However Williams has firmly stated that contract’s are currently the furthest thing on his mind with the number one priority being to further establish himself in the Fury starting team & continue letting his football doing the talking. David terrorised Adelaide United last weekend & has set his sights on delivering a similar performance against Sydney FC in this week’s round # 17 fixture.
On loan with Fury for the current 2009/10 Australian season David Williams is in the second year of a three year contract with Danish powerhouse club Brøndby IF & has recently landed on the radar screen of the latest A-League expansion club Melbourne Heart who will come to life in a playing sense for the 2010/11 Australian summer season.
The one time Queensland Academy of Sport trainee was in & out of the Fury team earlier in the season finding his feet & made mostly fleeting impact appearances off the bench. However after breaking into the staring XI David has now started the past 6 matches with 8 starts overall & 14 appearances out of the 16 matches played to date in total & is currently one of the leagues form players.
Williams found himself in Townsville via a South African club trial (Bidvest Wits) after apparently falling down the pecking order with Brøndby & team boss Kent Nielsen. David publicly aired his dissatisfaction with the lack of first team opportunity Nielsen was giving him via a Danish football news medium stating that his football had not been developing while wallowing in the Brøndby reserve team. These words definitely struck a chord & before long Williams found himself farmed out on loan & ending up in Townsville of all places.
In fact the signing of Williams was a real bolt from the blue & something of a coup that took the whole Australian football community by surprise & in turn made rival clubs sit up & take serious notice. Where David’s footballing journey takes him next is anyone’s guess & the player himself is taking his future in his stride & is pretty casual about what the future might hold preferring to focus on the job at hand with NQ Fury…
''Football is a difficult game in choosing where to go, I'll just take it as it comes, see out the season and take it from there.
''I've got to be playing regularly and then go back and talk and see what happens. There wasn't a falling out between me and the club, it was with the coaching staff and the head coach. And it wasn't really a falling out, it was just the frustration of not being able to play.
''If you're not in the coaches' good books, you're not going to play.
''I might get a chance (next season) but I'm not looking too far forward into the future, my No. 1 priority is the Fury at the moment. That's for my agent to deal with.
''I just want to play games and see where I go from there.''
As mentioned Williams has started the past 6 matches for Fury & is firmly concentrating on helping Fury negotiate a difficult inaugural season & assist his current club climb up the league table…
''For me, just being on the field from the start is an achievement and an accomplishment so to do it again would be great.
''We played some of our best football and I was glad to be a part of it. I'm very happy, it's been a long wait to get a run of form and I'm happy where I am.
''It feels good to be playing well.''
Having narrowly lost to Sydney after a rallying comeback in the clubs first ever A-league match Fury defeated Sydney via a Robbie Fowler screamer 1-0 the last time the two clubs met in a round 6 fixture at the Sydney Football Stadium & go into this week’s match brimming with confidence with the knowledge that Sydney are beatable & on the back of last week’s fine performance. David Williams echoed the confidence within the Fury camp…
''We'll go down on a high from winning but we have a 90-minute job to do.”
Where David ends up after the current season is yet to be determined & Fury would no doubt love to keep the player on its books long term but his footballing future lies firmly in the hands of his parent club & like the player himself Fury will have to take a wait & see attitude.
One thing for sure is Williams has become a firm fans favourite & the supporters would love nothing more than seeing the 21 year old remain in the green of Fury long term.
By M.McGRATH - December 1, 2009 Fury team boss Ian Ferguson has received great news today with the revelation that injured duo David Williams & Vice Captain Robbie Middleby have or will make quicker than expected recoveries & will both be available for Saturdays important Round # 17 fixture against Sydney FC.
The injury David Williams picked up was always considered to be of a minor nature but team boss Ian Ferguson held grave fears immediately after the Adelaide match for Middleby who has struggled with & been nursing the same injury for over a month now.
However the club today has confirmed that both players have had their injuries assessed, treated & will recover in time to be available for the trip to Sydney later this week.
This is great news for the Fury outfit as Ian Ferguson will in all likelihood endeavor to field a similar if not the same team that excelled against Adelaide last Saturday evening.
David Williams was arguably the best player on the pitch & Robbie Middleby forged an impressive right channel combination with debutant Terry Cooke. Fury definitely lost some moment after losing Middleby at half time & Williams around the mark.
The news that both players will be fit to tackle Sydney in this Saturdays Round # 17 fixture will be most welcomed by all associated with the club.
By M.McGRATH - December 1, 2009 Former Central Coast Mariners fan favourite Andre Gumprecht who had been trialling with NQ Fury over the past week will according to reports today not be signed as expected on a short term injury deal.
The 35 year old German who has most recently played in the NSW Premier League with Bonnyrig Eagles was to have his fitness assessed & an eye cast over his potential regarding contributing to Fury’s midfield.
However reports today state that NQ Fury officials have confirmed that Gumprecht will not be signed by the club. Whether it was a case of coaching staff not being impressed with Gumprecht’s showing’s or the fact Fury’s new look & reshaped team performed above expectation on the weekend is yet to be determined.
By M.McGRATH - December 1, 2009 Justin Pasfield is a patient young man. A Very patient young man & that patience along with a dedication to his craft is finally paying off for the perennial understudy. Making only the second appearance of his A-League career on Saturday night in the 2-1 victory over Adelaide Utd Pasfield performed well & is a sure thing to retain his place in the Fury first XI & face one of his former clubs Sydney FC in the Round # 17 fixture to be played at the Sydney Football Stadium this Saturday night.
Justin Pasfield has previously been on the books of Sydney FC & had injury replacement stints with Brisbane who were then Queensland Roar & the Newcastle Jets without ever actually making an on field appearance.
However after a string of disappointing Fury performances the young goalkeeper (24) was a direct beneficiary of Ian Ferguson’s late season cull (There are 10 rounds left to play) replacing the experienced & well travelled Paul Henderson between the sticks. Pasfield made both his second Fury & career A-league starting appearance against the Red’s of Adelaide after the unluckiest of debuts in the Round # 5 home draw (1-1) against Brisbane in Townsville.
That particular match was as much remembered for Paul Kohler’s very controversial first half send off & a stirring Fury performance that was cruelly reduced to a draw after the home side had dominated their then much more fancied rivals with ten men for over an hour leading the match 1-0 before Brisbane produced an undeserved very late equaliser an equalising goal that Justin had zero chance of keeping out.
Pasfield did little wrong in his big time debut but succumbed to a rib injury picked up during the first half of that match & was then ruled out of playing for two weeks. Paul Henderson won a reprieve & kept the custodians shirt for the ensuing # 10 rounds of A-League football until Ian Ferguson was forced to reshape his team in Round # 16 after some indifferent performances by both the team & particular individuals.
Pasfield then got the nod & was handed an opportunity to show his wares. Grateful for the opportunity presented Justin is now determined to make every post a winner…
''For me it was just a big opportunity to get back in the team last time I played I got injured.
''I'm grateful enough I got another opportunity at the weekend, I really enjoyed it and hopefully I've done enough to keep my spot.''
Disappointed after injury ruined his original first team opportunity Pasfield used this as motivation to continue working hard & await another chance to impress team boss Ian Ferguson in the pressure cooker environment of a fully fledged A-league fixture. The fact it was an almost must win match for Fury further proved that Pasfield was up to the demands of a top notch top flight keeper….
''It was disappointing but it was just one of those things that happens in football, you get injured but you've just got to get on with it.
''I just put it behind me and really worked at getting fitter and better than I was before.''
Performing solidly & making some strong saves late in the match Pasfield is determined to keep his place in the team & help push his fledgling club towards a semi finals place in its inaugural campaign!...
''My main aim for the rest of the season is to really stay in there and help the team get into the top six.''
Despite looking comfortable for most of the match Pasfield admitted he was a little ring rusty & there were a couple of moments where communication between keeper & his defenders could have been better. This aspect of his game & the defenders in front of him will improve with more minutes on the field together & Pasfield is genuinely looking forward to taking on his former club Sydney FC at his old stomping ground this Saturday evening …
''The more games I play, hopefully the more things will come easier for me.
''I'm really looking forward to getting down to Sydney and playing against the old club, I was there for two years and won a championship with them. I loved my time down there, they're a great club and they have great fans as well.''
While Pasfield talks the talk well its impressing the man that counts most (Ian Ferguson) that will determine whether Justin continues in the Fury starting XI & the Fury Judge, Jury & executioner Ian Ferguson was most pleased with his young keepers performance against Adelaide…
“Terry Cooke, Justin Pasfield and Jack Hingert coming in did a great job and it was a great performance, I’m absolutely delighted with it.
“I’m thankful for this man here, (Referring to Pasfield beside him @ the post match press conference) he had a fantastic game.”
By M.McGrath Via Fourfourtwo.com.au [Published November 30 - 2009] Ian Ferguson promised to shake things up during the week and along with shaking he also rattled and rolled making no fewer than five changes to his struggling Fury team. Four players were not only dropped from the starting lineup but completely cut adrift from the squad. Consequently the ensuing match day performance by this reshaped team firmly proved that old adage of a week being a long time in football.
The capitulation against the Mariners a week earlier had stung all associated with NQ Fury and hard. From the supporters through to the team boss something had to give. Congratulations to Ian Ferguson for not standing still and accepting mediocrity. A call made by this very blog in the aftermath of that Mariners disaster. Ferguson addressed many of the on field concerns aired by myself and several other Fury supporters.
It seems for once that the humble arm chair critic’s and the boss were on the exact same wave length. In fact Ferguson satisfied all of my personal whims and then thought even further out side of the square to fashion a new look and competitive team.
This blog made no secret of and pulled no punches last week airing dissatisfaction towards Dodd, Henderson and Malik in particular. Dodd and Henderson had become liabilities and while Osama Malik definitely has a very bright future his inexperience and perhaps lack of self belief at such an early stage in his career had become an issue. Young players evolve and mature at different rates as is evident by comparing Osama Malik with Rostyn Griffiths. Rostyn is becoming an absolute beast in midfield and admittedly does have a couple of years over Osama who will no doubt benefit from the recent run in the team.
So out went Agius, Daal, Dodd, Henderson, Malik and Tadrosse with Cooke, Grossman, Hingert, Pasfield and Smith coming into the squad and Kohler promoted to the starting lineup from the bench. Pasfield came in for Henderson, debutant Matt Smith replaced Karl Dodd, Jack Hingert took Chris Tadrosse’s left back spot and another debutant but highly experienced campaigner Terry Cooke replaced the mercurial but oft M.I.A Fred Agius. Chris Grossman rested the week before due to specialist defenders regaining fitness came onto the bench for possibly the unluckiest victim to feel Ferguson’s axe Dyron Daal.
What transpired on the field was a turnaround of the highest order. The opening forty five minutes was as good if not the best I have personally seen from any Fury line up to date. The football was fluent, purposeful and penetrative. Many players stood out and it was hard to find a great deal of fault, especially in the opening stanza.
David Williams was scintillating, Rostyn Griffiths dominated and Daniel McBreen was finally rewarded for his toil. The experienced players provided composure and with Kohler tidy in the midfield holding role Griffith’s was able to break the shackles and put his stamp all over the game. David Williams electrified the left side of the park and Robbie Fowler buzzed about producing quality touches and openings while journeyman Terry Cooke on debut combined well with Middleby on the right and showed plenty of quality.
Everyone new Fury could go forward and trouble opponents it’s the back five that has been the teams Achilles heel. No one had even herd of Mathew Smith before about Thursday and the former Brisbane Strikers captain stepped up and looked a seasoned pro. What relief that was after being subjected to suicide bomber Karl Dodd. Jack Hingert another talented youngster who I had previously aired surprise at not seeing more often excelled and put in a fine shift. Even Johnny ‘Rambo’ Tambouras looked more assured than he has. Sure he had his one mad moment when blindly back passing and nearly beating his own keeper, but we have grown accustomed to this almost endearing part of big John’s game.
Justin Pasfield did all that was asked of him and pulled off a couple of really strong saves ensuring he will keep his place. It was just nice to survive a whole match where our keeper hadn’t basically thrown the ball into his own net.
Fury lost a bit of momentum in the second half after Middleby succumbed to injury and Cooke’s fitness faded as expected. The pair had formed a strong combination and when the electric David Williams strained a quad Fury lost further impact but had done more than enough to run out deserved winners and lift themselves of the bottom of the league table.
Admittedly the home team was guilty of defending a bit too deep and shutting up shop so to speak after going two goals up with about twenty minutes to go. The space between the midfield and defensive lines opened up and Adelaide did take advantage. However this is a natural anomaly when a team has struggled and is desperate to get back to winning ways. Adelaide to their credit did step things up in the second half as you would expect as they also were fighting for their lives.
All in all Fury got their just desert’s for a massively improved performance in a week that saw Ian Ferguson emerge as a very canny operator and even the Reds brilliant goal keeper Eugene Galekovic was reduced to mere mortal rather than superhuman foe.
As for finals well that will likely still prove to be a step too far but this team is now once gain travelling in the right direction and most pleasing of all is that Fury are once again both competitive and organised. That my friend’s is all I have personally ever asked for in regards to this inaugural campaign. But a week can be a very long time in football and who knows what we will get next week? Win, draw or lose more of the same would be very nice.
By M.McGrath - November 30, 2009 On loan Fury wide man come striker David Williams who electrified the left side of Dairy Farmers Stadium on Saturday night before succumbing to a slight quad injury has reportedly emerged as a key target for the A-Leagues newest expansion club Melbourne Heart while regular Fury impact player Dyron Daal was not a victim of Ian Fergusons late week axe wielding ahead of the Adelaide match.
Williams on loan from Danish Club Brondby is reportedly being chased by Heart of Melbourne. However & alarmingly for Fury who no doubt would love to keep the player Williams future is somewhat out of the Townsville based clubs hands.
With Williams being contractually owned by Brondby, Heart officials can bypass Fury & deal direct with his parent club. The allegedly cashed up Heart have really stepped up its recruitment drive of late.
Fury would likely prefer the player to return to Denmark rather than setting up shop with a rival A-League club. It would be a massive coup If Fury can manage to keep this very talented player & will be a stern test of the clubs top office.
Meanwhile it has emerged that Dyron Daal who was considered to be the unluckier of the recently axed Fury first team players was in fact not axed but was left out of Saturday night’s victorious squad due to picking up a knock to a knee in pre match training on Friday evening.
The injury is reportedly not serious but was enough to rule Dyron out of Saturdays round # 16 home clash.
By M.McGrath - November 30, 2009 Fury debutant Matthew Smith who played with aplomb & looked ever the seasoned pro in his first A-League outing against Adelaide United on Saturday night has spoken of a whirlwind week that saw Fury’s newest player roll up his beach towel & hurriedly head North from a family holiday on the Gold Coast for the tropics following a footballing dream.
Matt Smith cut his teeth in South Coast English Premier League club Portsmouth’s youth ranks before embarking on a football journey that took in England’s semi-pro tiers highlighted with captaining his country England & a combined Great Britain team at University level.
Smith after completing a university degree in sports management eventually ended up in Australia & then starred for QLD state league powerhouse club the Brisbane Strikers winning its player of the year award in his first season & earning the clubs captaincy for the start of his second season.
Recently becoming an Australian Citizen Smith is now recognised as a local player rather than chewing up a valuable visa place an anomaly that had disadvantaged the player previously. Fury had Smith trial in pre-season & he impressed but basically had little or no room to add another foreign player to its squad list. Smith elaborated further on his amazing week…
''This time last week I was probably with my family on the Gold Coast on the beach somewhere.
''I literally got the phone call from Ian (Ferguson) on Monday night to see if I could come up during the week, see how I went, see if I could prove my fitness. Luckily for myself I did all right and managed to get a start tonight, which is fantastic.
''My citizenship came through last month but I didn't bring the certificate up with me. The club thought I had an Australian passport but I don't so I had to frantically get my dad on the Gold Coast to try and fax a copy up and it was all approved about 10 o'clock last night (Friday night).''
From the beach to the dairy (Farmers stadium) in five days is some journey & to top off Smith’s out of the box week he played superbly on debut. As did his new teammates with Fury putting in one of its finest on field performances to date. Especially in the first half when the home team absolutely dominated last season’s grand finalists & Smith enjoyed his big league outing...
Matt Smith may have been on his A-League debut but he rolled out all the seasoned professionals’ cliché’s post match…
''Obviously the most important thing from a team perspective was to get the three points.
''Regardless of previous results, I've come in at a point and I needed to do well and the team needed to do well. To be fair, the whole squad tonight pulled through and we all worked well together.''
Fury team boss Ian Ferguson who took what now seems a calculated gamble on the largely unknown player waxed lyrical at his latest recruit’s debut showing…
''We had Matty down at Rockhampton (Pre-season trials V’s Capricorn Cougars & Central Coast Mariners) when we played there and he did a very good job for us.
''But at that time there was really no room for him.
''He's a hard worker and he's got good vision.
''Tonight he was just outstanding, I thought he was fantastic at the back.''
Smith who will no doubt keep his place in the heart of the Fury defence will have little time to rest on any laurels as he will face a further baptism of fire next weekend when Fury travel to Sydney & Smith will be employed to shut down Sydney FC’s very talented attacking players.
On an initial 6 week injury with an option to continue if both parties are satisfied Smith likened the deal to an extended trial & is desperate to forge a career in Australian top flight football…
“It’s a six week contract and really it’s like an extended trial to show the coach what I’m capable of. Professional football is what I want."
(Will update this post as further comment comes to hand throughout Monday)
By M.McGrath - November 30, 2009 (Collated via… Adelaide Advertiser, Fox Sports, Sportal, NQ Fury.com Townsville Bulletin)
Fury Camp:
Team Boss Ian Ferguson… "It was a nice win after last week's disaster, the boys dug deep tonight.It showed a lot of heart and a lot of character, the last 15 minutes to go we were cramping up and players falling over. We have been working hard with the new boys coming in, Terry Cooke I thought did a great job, Pasfield I thought did a good job."
''The boys dug deep tonight, I'm proud of every one of them. I thought they put a fantastic performance in, showed a lot of heart, a lot of character. With 10 or 15 minutes to go we were cramping up and had players falling over but that's the determination about them.
''You see Tambouras who's in agony all over and yet comes back on for the last 10 minutes. The park was full of heroes tonight, a great performance. I'm absolutely delighted with them.''
“Tonight the boys were hungry, they were determined and they won all of the battles which was great,” said Ferguson. Terry Cooke, Justin Pasfield and Jack Hingert coming in did a great job and it was a great performance, I’m absolutely delighted with it.
“Terry (Cooke) came in and he won the ball and had great composure. He holds the ball for us and great delivery for his set pieces.
Ian Ferguson on the injuries that ended David Williams & Robbie Middleby’s evening…
''I think Middleby's might be a bit more serious.''
Further comment on Striker McBreen & Keeper Pasfield… “He’s (McBreen] been quite unlucky at times but tonight he put one away and I’m absolutely delighted for him.
“I’m thankful for this man (Justin Pasfield) here, he had a fantastic game.”
Opening Goal Scoring Striker Daniel McBreen… ''It was like black and white, last week's performance to this week's. Especially in the first half, it was just a completely different outlook. We were very positive, kept the ball, made Adelaide work.”
''I had a couple of chances just before I scored I turned to Paul Kohler and said, 'one of these is going to go in eventually'.''
''The gaffer said that Robbie was obviously scoring a lot of goals but that we had to take some of the pressure off him. I was just saying to the boys during the week that I'd like to score more than I have been.
''I've had chances, maybe through bad luck, poor finishing, good goalkeeping, they haven't gone in. Hopefully the monkey's off my back and I can push on from here and score a few more to help the team.''
Rookie Keeper Justin Pasfield… “Just the effort from the boys was fantastic and just to get the three points is what we wanted.
Adelaide Utd Camp:
Temporary Team Boss (Assistant) Phil Stubbins… “At the end of the day it's a bad result for the club. We just fell short again. I think the first half was not as good a performance as we had hoped for.
“I take my hat off to the Fury who certainly dictated the first half and deserved a 1-0 lead. It is disappointing all around but I think we can take the positives from the second-half performance.
“Half-time I think we changed things around for the positive for our boys. We got ourselves back into the game way too late and left it with not much opportunity to get a draw.
"I think we can probably take the positives from the second-half performance.”
Skipper Travis Dodd… "The finals are still achievable. This season is not dead and buried. We put in a performance (in Townsville) which wasn't good, it was ordinary. We're very disappointed with the way we played."
By M.McGrath - November 29, 2009 Match Stats & Details: Goals:Fury - Daniel McBreen (39mins), Robbie Fowler (66mins) / Adelaide United - Cristiano (91mins) Bookings:Fury - Daniel McBreen / Adelaide United - Iain Fyfe, Mark Rudan, Kristian Sarkies.
Detailed Match Report (Below/Bottom) Fury……………………........…....…….....…...…...Adelaide Venue: Dairy Farmers Stadium - (Kirwan) Townsville Date: November 28, 2009 Kick Off: 8pm (QLD) - 9pm (AEST) Referee: Peter Green Conditions: 26.2 Degs C / 71 % Humidity [BOM] Pitch: Good -> Hard / Fast Attendance: 5,356
Substitutes: 14. Chris Grossman ON 45mins -> OFF 2. Robbie Middleby, 7. Jason Spagnuolo ON 53mins -> OFF 11. David Williams, 10. Jeremy Brockie ON 68mins -> OFF 25. Terry Cooke, Unused -> 1. Paul Henderson (Gk).
Omitted From Prelim Squad: 3. Chris Tadrosse, 22. Karl Dodd, 15. Fred Agius, 17. Osama Malik, 24.Dyron Daal. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Adelaide United Line Up: 1. Eugene Galekovic (gk), 2. Robert Cornthwaite, 3. Alemao, 4. Iain Fyfe, 6. Cassio, 7. Lucas Pantelis 8. Kristian Sarkies, 10. Adam Hughes, 13. Travis Dodd (c), 19. Mathew Leckie, 21. Mark Rudan.
Substitutes: 18. Fabian Barbiero ON 45mins -> OFF 3. Alemao, 9. Cristiano ON 67mins -> OFF 7. Lucas Pantelis , 14. Scott Jamieson ON 81mins -> OFF 10. Adam Hughes , Unused -> 20. Mark Birighitti (Gk).
Omitted From Prelim Squad: 5.Daniel Mullen, ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Detailed Match Report... NQ Fury has beaten last season’s grand finalists (runners up) Adelaide United by two goals to one putting in a fantastic performance at its home base of Dairy Farmers Stadium last night to register the clubs second home win & fourth overall victory of its inaugural A-League season. Goals in each half from Daniel McBreen & Robbie Fowler ensured Fury took the valuable three points in the two clubs third & final regular season meeting of the 2009/10 campaign. NQ Fury & Adelaide United have now shared the spoils over the three encounters with a draw (3-3), a win to Adelaide (2-0) & Fury’s 2-1 win overnight squared the ledger.
Fury team boss Ian Ferguson lived up to his pre match oath of ringing the changes by really shaking things up & reshaping his team. The squad that finally made the team sheet saw no less than 5 players from last week’s squad omitted 4 of them starting players.
There were no places in this week’s squad for Fred Agius, Karl Dodd, Osama Malik & Chris Tadrosse who all started against the Mariners last week with Dyron Daal also dropped from his regular substitutes role.
Justin Pasfield, Jack Hingert & Paul Kohler all substitutes last week made the run on team while new signings Terry Cooke & Matthew Smith also made starting debuts.
Adelaide United also made changes with highly regarded youngster’s defender Scott Jamieson & midfielder Fabian Barbiero both dropped to the bench.
The team was set up as follows. Justin Pasfield in goal, Robbie Middleby & Jack Hingert at right & left full backs with John Tambouras & debutant Matthew Smith in the centre of defence. Paul Kohler came into the team playing the holding midfield role with Rostyn Griffiths in the more advance central midfield berth. David Williams operated on the left flank with the night’s second debutant Terry Cooke stationed wide right. The only unchanged line in Fury’s starting team was the front two of Robbie Fowler & Daniel McBreen.
The opening 45 minutes was as well as Fury have played this season in fact the opening stanza was a pleasure to witness as Ian Ferguson’s newly shaped team played some fluent, entertaining & penetrating football taking a deserved 1-0 lead into the break.
It was hard to find a bad Fury player in the first half with line honors going to Rostyn Griffiths, David Williams & Daniel McBreen, both debutants Terry Cooke & Matt Smith slotted in seamlessly whilst promoted goal keeper Justin Pasfield making just his second A-League appearance did all that was asked of him in a mostly comfortable manor.
David Williams was absolutely electric down the left flank & Terry Cooke’s delivery from the wide right channel was immediately noticeable. Defensive debutant Matt Smith looked like a seasoned pro & was never overawed with his composure & reading of the game a feature. Daniel McBreen gave the Adelaide defence problems from the get go & Rostyn Griffiths was dynamic in the centre of midfield.
Terry Cooke had whipped in a juicy cross that asked questions as early as the second minute & both debutants Cooke & Smith had made assured early touches to alleviate any possible nerves. Fury had come out the blocks full of energy & purpose creating many half chances & flowing movements.
Some of the best chances of the half fell to Daniel McBreen who at one stage must have had that sensed a touch of déjà vu as Adelaide keeper Eugene Galekovic thwarted several opportunities. The last time the two clubs met Galekovic put in a super human performance repelling countless McBreen goal bound efforts.
Adelaide did have some positive moments but the first 45 was mostly bossed by the home team. Gloveman Justin Pasfield was forced to punch clear a dangerous early cross & a lack of communication between new defensive partners Matt Smith & keeper Pasfield did put hearts in mouths for a brief moment when Pasfield spilled a rather innocuous ball as he & Smith almost tangled. Pasfield recovered well & re-gathered the pill.
The next positive moment saw Terry Cooke whip in a dangerous free kick from his right side channel after 5 minutes that again asked questions. Brazilian defender Cassio the one time Fury player, well by a hand shake agreement that was later reneged on causing the ire of Chairman Don Matheson headed away to safety.
After 6 minutes debutant Matt Smith showed his quality. Originally deflecting an awkward bouncing ball that actually hit his hand/arm the ball then ended up spilling down the channel & Adelaide broke away. Smith showing a tidy turn of pace ran down Lucas Pantelis & put in a clinically timed clean tackle in the box to rid Pantelis of the ball & avert any danger.
Daniel McBreen & Mark Rudan were upping the ante in a physical sense often clashing both on & off ball that caused the pair to be dressed down by referee Peter Green. Fury by now had taken charge of midfield & consequently the game. The rest of the half was dominated by the home team with Adelaide only enjoying brief forays into the Fury danger area.
The openings were starting to come with regular occurrence now that included a McBreen ball into the box that just thwarted both Robbie Fowler & David Williams, Williams himself with a fine jinking run down the left cut the ball back for McBreen who fired just wide on his weaker right foot.
Matt Smith was next to present an opening when pumping free kick front he right side defensive channel long into the box that found a rising McBreen who headed over. The game was only 15 minutes old but it was alone way traffic Fury’s way.
On the fifteen minute mark Dan McBreen actually had the ball in the back of the net. A looping ball over the defence put McBreen one on one with keeper Galekovic who in turn spilled the ball crashed into McBreen who performed a pseudo sideways on his back bicycle kick type effort that rolled into Adelaide’s goal.
However referee peter Green was quick to blow his whistle & disallow the goal awarding Adelaide a free kick. On first look in real time one couldn’t see why green had blown his whistle? The ensuing replay then showed that Green had made an excellent decision as McBreen had handled the ball upon colliding with Galekovic. McBreen was awarded a yellow card for his effort of deception.
On 17 minutes Adam Hughes flashed a shot wide that appeared to have the Fury keeper beaten in one of Adelaide’s better moments of the half. Fury continued to dominate & fashion half & decent chances at regular intervals. Next up was David Williams who smashed a shot from distance that Galekovic first spilled then collected. The next chance was a first time instinctive volleyed lob by Williams that again put McBreen one on one with the Adelaide goal keeper. The Keeper Galekovic to his credit read the situation well & was first to the ball.
Captain Robbie Fowler than got into the action as provider feeding McBreen centrally who turned & shot in one motion forcing another strong save for Eugene Galekovic. By now was the time McBreen must have been close to losing the psychological battle with Galekovic as that feeling of déjà vu returned. Would Eugene Galekovic (The league’s best keeper) again prove unbeatable for both Fury & Daniel McBreen?
After 30 minutes of the match Fury were dominating the possession stats 65/35 but had yet capitalized on its glut of chances.
Centre half John Tambouras renowned for at least one suicide moment a match was the next to nearly score for Adelaide! Turning blindly & back passing to his keeper the ball almost snuck past. Pasfield was forced to save& then did extremely well to not concede a corner & clear a way for a throw in.
Fury however were straight back on the attack & this time a Terry Cooke corner kick found its way to David Williams on the edge of the box, he smashed another goal bound shot that deflected away to Robbie Fowler who fed Williams again & his swinging cross finds McBreen who also shoots & the ball ricochets beating Galekovic & narrowly skipping past the post.
McBreen sees another shot flash wide after 33 mins & Fowler heads over the bar from a Cooke corner on 35. Then on 38 minutes the moment all associates of NQ Fury had been waiting for arrived.
Robbie Fowler & Terry Cooke combine wide right with Fowler clipping a pin point ball to Daniel McBreen centre just inside the box, McBreen lets the ball come across his body chesting towards his favoured left foot & rolling close marker Robbie Cornthwaite in the process. McBreen then lashed the ball with that left foot giving Adelaide keeper Galekovic absolutely no chance & the ball sweetly hits the left corner of Adelaide’s goal net, 1-0 Fury with just minutes before half time.
The rest of the half was played out without incident until the first minute of stoppage time when McBreen got chopped down in the Adelaide box but the referee showed no interest in Fury’s penalties claim. The Journal felt it was a decent shout & have seen them given in the past. It wasn’t to be but Fury did take a much deserved 1-0 lead into the half time break. Fury led the possession stat 59/41 at the break. Adelaide’s attacking moments were fleeting & mostly well negotiated.
Ian Ferguson had his hand forced at half time after right back & vice Captain Robbie Middleby picked up a knock late in the first stanza & could not continue. Chris Grossman came on & slotted straight into Middleby’s right back position. The loss of Middleby became obvious in time as he & terry Cooke had formed a dynamic combination down the right flank.
Fury had a fantastic chance just 1 minute into the second half; Fowler fed Williams wide who cleverly found Terry Cooke outside the box towards the far post. Cooke fluffed his chance & sent it wide. Cooke really should have scored.
Adelaide as expected up the ante in the second half as they were fighting for their A-league lives. Kristian Sarkies fried from distance early, Pasfield spilled but Matt Smith cleared. Fury continued to press but Adelaide were clawing their way back into the game. A well worked corner on 52 minutes forced a finger tipped save from Justin Pasfield.
On 52 minutes Fury suffered a further injury blow with David Williams suffering a squad strain & being forced to leave the field & be replaced by Jason Spagnuolo. Williams had been electric & along with Adelaide’s concerted fight back Fury admittedly did lose much of the momentum after losing the flying winger.
Just before the hour mark Fury worked a clever short corner that saw Paul Kohler lash a shot towards goal that just flew wide. The match by now was quite even with Adelaide gaining in momentum but after 66 minutes Fury gained some breathing space.
The ball came through midfield & the usually defence orientated Paul Kohler performed a really tidy step over type dummy & rolled the ball forward to an oncoming Robbie Fowler who did what he does best & fired a wicked shot towards goal. The ball took a tiny deflection off defender Robbie Cornthwaite but keeper Eugene Galekovic was arguably beaten anyway. Fury were up 2-0 & were honestly great value for the lead especially on the back of that magnificent first half & an even share of the second so far. Adelaide had gained some momentum & the second goal for Fury would prove to be the difference.
Rather than capitulate Adelaide creditably dug in & launched a fight back without creating too many open chances. By the 70 minute mark Terry Cooke had been withdrawn as pre planned after putting in a really positive debut performance. New Zealand international Jeremy Brockie came on & took Cooke’s place on the right side of the field.
Adelaide continued to huff & puff with fury perhaps playing into their hands & being guilty of shutting up shop seemingly happy to protect its two goal lead. This was a dangerous ploy but a sometimes natural development when a team has struggled in previous matches. Fury was defending very deep & the space between midfield & defence was widening all the time.
The visitors though were still mostly being forced to shoot from distance. Fabian Barbiero & Kristian Sarkies both forced excellent saves out of Fury keeper Justin Pasfield & on 78 minutes after Fury had used all substitutes centre half John Tambouras threw a spanner in the works & went done with what was originally diagnosed as cramp. Tambouras were visibly struggling & had to leave the field for treatment. Fury was down to ten men for several minutes.
Team boss Ian Ferguson issued Tambouras with a sideline rallying call & Tambouras despite stills struggling returned to the fray on one leg. There has been some suggestion since that Tambouras rather than cramp could have picked up a hamstring problem. Tambouras seemed to aggravate the back of his leg when trenching in an earlier tackle.
Adelaide took advantage of Fury’s sudden shortage of fit men & really pressed on for the last 10 minutes or so. Fury to their credit rallied & thwarted Adelaide at almost every turn until Brazilian striker Cristiano struck in the first of the three allotted injury time minutes after a goal mouth scramble saw the ball land at his feet & he powerfully rove the ball home leaving Fury keeper Justin Pasfield with no chance of saving.
Fury had but 2 minutes to hang on & it was to be their night. Jeremy Brockie provided a light moment in the 92nd minute when he attempted to stop a ball going out for an Adelaide goal kick when in attack & somehow managed to tangle his body, pirouette, fly through the air & go crashing violently into a Fox sports advertising hording behind the Adelaide goal.
The moment was light hearted when it was clear Brockie had not been injured & the Kiwi sheepishly returned to the field of play after momentarily disappearing behind the Dairy Farmers Stadium advertising boards.
Peter Green blew his whistle mid way through the 93rd minute to rapturous cheering from the Fury faithful as the home team had held on to record a deserved victory that regardless of other results sees Fury move up from the bottom of the league & temporarily into 7th place. The biggest disappointment of the evening was the smallish crowd of 5,356 (Though they were noisy & really backed the home team) over 2,000 down on the crowd the week before.
However Fury had been spanked 5-1 in that forgettable performance against the Central Coast Mariners last week & that was surely a catalyst to the numbers being down this week which is a great shame as fans this week witnessed a really, really good Fury performance & fully deserved famous NQ Fury victory.
By M.McGrath - November 28, 2009 NQ Fury team boss Ian Ferguson is backing axed Goal Keeper Paul Henderson to rebound & fight his way back into Fury’s first XI after being dropped for this evenings round # 16 home clash against Adelaide United. Henderson & Chris Tadrosse have been the first Fury players to feel the head coaches axe after Ferguson promised to shake things up ahead of the must win fixture.
Henderson will be replaced in goal by perennial understudy Justin Pasfield & youngster Jack Hingert will come into the team at left back in place of Chris Tadrosse. Henderson understood to be most displeased with his second axing of the season (Winning a reprieve after Pasfield succumb to injury in round #5) is backing his regular #1 to fight hard to earn back his place in the team & turn up the heat on Pasfield who this evening makes only his second career A-League.
"He's not happy, (but) it's a decision I made for certain reasons and that's between me and the player.
"It's not a case of being a fall guy. We've lost five goals, he's not to blame for them all, but I do feel that the game's first goal, it was crucial."
Meanwhile rumours today suggest that centre half Karl Dodd will also get the chop for tonight’s match & will be replaced by new signing Matt Smith in the heart of Fury’s back four.
David Williams a late injury concern after receiving a heavy knock at training is expected to be fit & take his place in the team.
By M.McGRATH - December 2, 2009
