Anyone going to the game at Spencer Park this weekend?

Not from up here I don't think.

Might be in town for Strikers away sometime if you wanna catch up m_t?

-PB

City Too Strong For Fury

Saturday night football returned to Spencer Park with Brisbane City FC recording its first win of the 2014 NPL season with a 2-1 victory over a tenacious Northern Fury.

Brisbane City’s Nathan Bird scored the opening goal from the top of the 18-yard box in the 54th minute after a quickly taken free kick by Ken Dougall was nodded back down to him by inspirational captain Mat Biggins.

City went further ahead nine minutes later when Jarrod Kyle scored his second goal in two weeks with a neat left footed strike.

A tense finish to the match ensued after City conceded an own goal from a well-directed Fury corner in the 89th minute.

The final stages saw both sides have chances to score but the 2-1 result stood at the full time whistle.

In the first half Brisbane City had the lion’s share of possession and goal scoring opportunities, but were foiled by some excellent goal keeping from Fury custodian Dylan Hudson and a desperate Fury defence.

It was a dominant 1st half performance from the boys in blue who had at least 5 clear goalscoring opportunities on the back of some highly skilled football.

The possession count in the first half heavily favoured City, however the Fury defended in numbers and kept their shape to go into the half time break 0-0.

Fury started strongly in the second half, however City came back into the game with two well taken goals.

The win lifts City to a mid-table position with one loss in the first round against current NPL champions Olympic and one win against the Northern Fury.

The game saw City farewell inspirational midfielder Kenny Dougall, who flies to the Netherlands for trials with top flight club SC Heerenveen after a sensational NPL Season where he took out the best young player in the competition award.

http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=1-9385-0-0-0&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=28537804

Northern Fury coach Ferguson asks players to match energy and fitness with execution after NPL loss

Northern Fury V FNQFC at the sports reserve. Fury player Ari Isman. Source: News Limited

NORTHERN coach Ian Ferguson is adamant the Fury can beat teams like Brisbane City.

But following Saturday’s 2-1 Round 2 National Premier Leagues loss in the state capital he said it was pivotal the young team learned to couple their energy and fitness with precision.

While pleased with the never-say-die attitude his charges displayed on Saturday night, Ferguson said youthful exuberance alone wouldn’t cut it against experienced teams like City.

“We can’t just be running all over the place because we’re young and we’re fit and we’ve got great energy, we’ve got to use that in the right way and the right manner,” he said.

“We need to make sure we’re using a lot of that energy in the opposition’s half.

“I feel as though at the moment we’re doing a lot of hard work in defending, but we’re not actually getting up into the opposition’s half as quickly as I would like.

“That’s something we’ll be working on this week, to move the ball quicker.”

Still, the Fury were unlucky not to come away with a point against last season’s runners up.

They stayed level with City until the home team broke the deadlock with two quick-fire goals in the 55th and 64th minutes, but kept them on their toes until the final whistle.

A scrambled 87th minute goal put Northern back to within one and only some desperate defence from Brisbane stopped them for scoring a miraculous equaliser in the shadows of fulltime.

Ferguson noted the result was a big improvement on the last time the Northern Fury travelled to play City in May last year when they were put to the sword 5-nil.

“It was a game where I felt (Brisbane City) were just a little bit quicker than us, they had a lot more experience than us, but the boys never gave up and they kept going,” he said.

“Towards the end we created three excellent chances where we could have maybe got a point.

“So it was a strange game, but the boys put in a great effort.”

Ferguson praised the performances of midfielder Kevin Fraser, skipper Jacob Crowley, goalkeeper Dylan Hudson and backs Ari Isman and back Caleb Hobson as the Fury’s standouts.

“If we can get those performances from those players and the other players can aspire to putting that same sort of performance in we’ll be a very hard unit to beat,” he said.

The Fury came out of the match with one injury concern, with Sam Herlihy hyper-extending his knee early in the contest. It will almost certainly rule him out for this weekend’s clash.

Northern on Sunday host the South West Queensland Thunder, who were beaten 6-2 by Brisbane Olympic on the weekend, at the Townsville Sports Reserve.

Tough game to watch, NF played like a youth team with plenty of energy and exuberance but not much "football nous". Really struggled to make effective attacking movements as City were quick to shut anything troublesome down. Ferguson picking up a couple more experience players wouldn't hurt.

Tough game to watch, NF played like a youth team with plenty of energy and exuberance but not much "football nous". Really struggled to make effective attacking movements as City were quick to shut anything troublesome down. Ferguson picking up a couple more experience players wouldn't hurt.

Northern Fury striker Braedyn Crowley nets a club record five goals as his side downs the SWQ Thunder 8-0.

TEENAGE striker Braedyn Crowley paid credit to his teammates’ service and patience after netting a club record five goals in the Northern Fury’s 8-0 drubbing of National Premier Leagues newcomers South-West Queensland Thunder.

It was the Fury’s biggest ever win and their first of the season, and Crowley also beat Gareth Edds’ four-goal mark set against league defending champions Brisbane Olympic in round 19 last year.

The 17-year-old scored his first in the 14th minute and by half-time had four as the Fury took a 4-0 lead into the break.

The Thunder’s best attacking chance of the second half came straight after half-time but Crowley nabbed his fifth by the 48th minute, making his conversion rate a goal every 9.6 minutes up until that point.

Crowley, who won the Townsville Premier League’s golden boot in 2012 before playing 15 games for the Central Queensland Energy last year, was on a high after the game and was relieved to get his name on the scoresheet after a dearth of chances in the opening two games of the season.

“As you can see, scoring is one of the best feelings and you just get this rush when you score,” he said.

“Scoring five for the boys is awesome, an awesome feeling.”
But the striker said his goal scoring rout was only possible through the strong performance of his teammates, who were patient and not trying to force the ball forward.

He said the work the Fury had been doing at training had paid off.

“The first thing we do is win the battle and if we do that we can play football,” Crowley said.

“We started playing football and they just looked like they didn’t want to be here.

“As soon as we were in the game we went forward and score and then we would sit back and wait until we could pounce on them again and then get the ball and be patient from there.”

Fury defender Mathieu Peyre bagged his first goal for the club in the 53rd minute while substitute midfielder Jack Gusmeroli, a member of the club’s under-16 team last year, comfortably converted a penalty with 26 minutes still to play.

Kevin Fraser completed the rout with 13 minutes to go, finding himself unmarked on the back post to head home a Nick Figg cross.

The only dampener on the afternoon was a red card for Fury captain Jacob Crowley, who was sent off in the 88th minute for running in and shoving Thunder defender Jace Watt who was also red carded for his off-ball pushing off Braedyn.

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/northern-fury-striker-braedyn-crowley-nets-a-club-record-five-goals-as-his-side-downs-the-swq-thunder-80/story-fnjfzr2z-1226856831734

Fury Roll Thunder In Townsville
Northern Fury chalked up their first win of the 2014 NPL Queensland season on Sunday with a dominant 8-0 win over South-West Queensland Thunder at Townsville Sports Reserve.

Braedyn Crowley proved the stand-out in the rout netting four first half goals to rocket to the top of the NPL golden boot leaderboard.

Mathieu Peyre, Kevin Fraser and Jack Gusmeroli also joined in the scoring spree for the hosts in the second half.

Thunder found themselves on the back foot from the opening exchanges before Crowley opened his account on 14 minutes courtesy of a neat assist from Jani Puet.

Crowley doubled his tally in the 28th minute, his enthusiastic celebration seeing him yellow-carded for removing his shirt.

Crowley wasn’t done yet though, and netted his third and fourth goals prior to the half time break.

The second half didn’t alter the flow of the match, a long strike from defender Caleb Hobson deflecting off Thunder captain Jace Watt into the bottom left corner for an own goal.

From there Frenchman Peyre added his name to scorers list along with Fraser and young substitute Jack Gusmeroli, who converted from the penalty spot.

There was late controversy as the captains of both sides clashed and were sent-off following an incident off the ball.

However, the day belonged to Crowley who produced a pro-active and comprehensive 90-minute shift up front.

The result lifts Fury to eighth on the ladder after three rounds, while Thunder fall to eleventh position with their second successive defeat.

Northern Fury 8 (Braedyn CROWLEY 15’ 27’ 38’ 41’, own goal 47’, Mathieu PEYRE 52’, Jack GUSMEROLI 65’(p), Kevin FRASER 78’)
SWQ Thunder 0

Vid?
Fucking sick!

[youtube]63yy9JUvmUE[/youtube]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

-PB

Northern Fury pick up second win of season with strong 4-0 victory over Brisbane Strikers.

NORTHERN Fury coach Ian Ferguson hopes Townsville will continue to be a feared venue for visiting National Premier League sides after downing Queensland football powerhouse Brisbane Strikers 4-0 on Sunday.

The Fury extended their unbeaten home run to three with the commanding win over the Strikers, bagging a pair of goals in each half in sweltering conditions at the Townsville Sports Reserve.

It means the Fury have two wins and a draw from their three games at home, conceding just one goal while banging in 13 of their own.

The Strikers were coming off the back of a fighting 3-2 win over defending champions Olympic last week, but struggled in the heat at the Fury took their chances.

Ferguson said he hoped their sports reserve home would be a fortress for the Northern club.

“That’s three games we’re undefeated at home now so we want to keep that going and make it a fortress,” he said.

“There were aspects of the game I wasn’t happy with, we were forcing the game and turning over the ball far too much for my liking.

“But to score another four goals at home is pleasing.”

James Brennan grabbed his first goal for the club in the 17th minute before Braedyn Crowley pegged his fifth goal of the season on 33 minutes to give the Fury a strong lead into half-time.

Given their lead and the conditions, the Fury attempted to slow things down and hold the ball while making the Strikers come at them.

A couple of last ditch efforts kept the Strikers out and Crowley again converted a one-on-one to give the home side a three-goal buffer.

The attacker was substituted on 72 minutes and his replacement Jani Peut had been on the pitch just five minutes when he scored a well-taken header from a Caleb Hobson cross.

“Big Jani’s goal was fantastic,” Ferguson said.

“I was right behind and he’s just guided it into the corner and little Braedyn Crowley has scored another fantastic goal after breaking through, playing on the shoulder and got a little bit of luck and calmly put it away.”

He said the win over the well credentialed Brisbane team would be a big boost for the young Fury team, but was still seeking some improvement with their use of possession after giving the ball away too easily at times.

“They’ve got to believe in themselves and I said to them, if you don’t believe in yourselves after that result you never will,” he said.

“Playing against the Brisbane Strikers and getting a 4-0 win, they’ve got to take confidence from that.”

Across the league, games were cancelled because of rain meaning the Fury has now pushed into fifth spot on the ladder, but have played one more game.

http://www.townsvillebulletin.com.au/sport/northern-fury-pick-up-second-win-of-season-with-strong-40-victory-over-brisbane-strikers/story-fnjfzr2z-1226869479830

Fury Launch Centre Of Excellence

Northern Fury Football Club and Kirwan State High School in Townsville have joined forces to establish the first Football Centre of Excellence in North Queensland.

The new Centre will deliver the national football curriculum developed by FFA and be open to all students at the school.

“We’ve had a centre of excellence in rugby league since day one of the North Queensland Cowboys,” said Kirwan SHS Principal, John Livingston.

“But we’re very aware that football is the sport of first choice for many of our students. From my perspective, I also want students to be physically active as it contributes to their physical, social and emotional wellbeing.

“With Northern Fury here on our doorstep, and with someone of the calibre and experience of Ian Ferguson as Director of Coaching, I thought this was a wonderful opportunity for our school and our students.”

Livingston said that the global appeal of football is also an important factor for young people.

“Every day we can see some form of football, whether it’s here in Australia, elsewhere through Asia or in the biggest leagues in the world. There’s also the World Cup this year, and the Asian Cup in Australia next January.

“As an educator, I think a global sport like football helps broaden outlooks and breaks down cultural and language barriers between individuals and, ultimately, between nations.”

Ferguson, along with Northern Fury Technical Director Harry Bingham, will oversee a program that focuses on skill development, technical and tactical knowledge, fitness and nutrition for football.

“We are delighted to establish this Football Centre of Excellence with Kirwan State High,” said Bingham.

“It’s an important component of Fury being a club for the community. Importantly, it brings football right where the kids are – at school – at no cost to parents or the children, other than their boots and shin pads.”

Ferguson added that he expects to find more talented youngsters also, “Obviously, we’ll be on the lookout for potential players for our elite program through Northern Fury.”

“I’ve been so impressed with the natural athleticism of so many young people I’ve seen since returning to Townsville.

“What we want to do is develop that talent so young players are skilled, technically and tactically comfortable and confident also."

Ferguson said the important part of the Football Centre of Excellence is giving young people the opportunity to play.

“As a father of three, I concur with John Livingston’s comments about the importance of young people playing sport and being physically active.

"If the Centre assists this, and helps young people build physical and mental resilience, we consider that’s a job well done and a critical contribution to our community.”

http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?client=0-9385-0-0-0&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=28910039

Northern Fury sign the biggest sponsorship agreement in the National Premier League Queensland conference

The Northern Fury has announced a new sponsor for their jerseys in 2014 called Chase Skills. Players Kevin Fraser, Jacob Crowley and Braedyn Crowley. Source: News Limited

THE Northern Fury’s push for an A-League return has taken another step with the club securing the biggest sponsorship in the Queensland National Premier Leagues conference.

The Fury have signed a two-year six-figure agreement with training company Chase Skills, a deal worth more than any of the other clubs’ sponsorships in the 12-team competition.

Fury chairman Rabieh Krayem said it was a boost for the ambitious club, which and their hope to have a National Youth League and W-League team inside the next couple of years.

He said there wasanother element for the club was the chance for players to get skills and possible employment through the sponsor.

“For us it’s another tick in the box to have a major sponsor for the next two years,” he said.

“One benefit is the financial one and it’s a significant six-figure sum and talking to Football Queensland, it’s the biggest major sponsorship for any of the NPL clubs so for us it’s a bit of a coup.

“Part of our arrangement with Chase Skills is also assisting players with their career development and training.”

Yesterday, Fury captain Jacob Crowley, younger brother Braedyn and midfielder Kevin Fraser were doing an induction with the company before starting a week-long logistics and warehouse skills training course which may lead to jobs for the players.

Krayem said their development of players was more than the football side of things.

“For us — when it’s an amateur sporting team where the players don’t get paid — it’s (about) how you can help them find jobs and upskill them,” he said.

“A lot of these players are going to uni or finishing school and it’s about how do we help them along.”

The Fury chairman said the deal with Chase Skills added to their rebuilding approach with a view to returning to the A-League within five years.

The club on Monday also announced a centre of excellence agreement with Kirwan High School. and in recent months has signed partnerships with West Ham United’s international academy, met with Football Federation Australia chief David Gallop and A-league boss Damien de Bohun and earned the support of some heavyhitters in Australian football.

“It’s just one step at a time,” Krayem said.

“I think our announcement this week about our partnership with Kirwan High and (yesterday) about our sponsor of the jersey, I think there’s more to come.

“I think it’s slowly, slowly.”

Have not kept up with this at all.

But just heard Alex Read is back in town (Newy). What happened to him at Fury?