Campbelltown City beats Queensland’s Lions FC in National Premier Leagues playoff final
CAMPBELLTOWN City has capped the most successful season in its 55-year history by downing Queensland champion Lions FC to be crowned Australia’s best second-tier club.
CAMPBELLTOWN City has capped the most successful season in its 55-year history by being crowned Australia’s best second-tier club.
The Red Devils downed Queensland champion Lions FC 2-1 in Sunday’s National Premier Leagues playoff final at Steve Woodcock Sports Centre.
Anthony Ture’s first-half double was enough for the SA club to secure its breakthrough success in the interstate series and its third trophy of an outstanding campaign.
Lions pulled one back just after the break when Andrew Thompson fired in a brilliant long range effort.
But Campbelltown weathered the second-half pressure from the visitors, who hit the woodwork late on, to become the first SA outfit since MetroStars in 2014 to claim the title.
It completed a marathon 29-game season for the Red Devils, a month after they won the NPL SA minor premiership and championship.
City bolted out of the blocks and took the lead just five minutes into the contest.
Japanese winger Yohei Matsumoto, the tormentor of Sydney Olympic in last week’s semi-final, produced another mazy run on the right before delivering a dangerous ball into the box.
Ture, who was later awarded the John Kosmina Medal for his man-of-the-match display, ghosted in at the back post to finish brilliantly on the run and get the hosts off to a flyer.
The Red Devils almost doubled their advantage moments later as more magic from Matsumoto ended with another menacing cutback which the Lions defence scambled clear.
The away side looked shell-shocked, but grew into the game as the opening half progressed.
It spurned a glorious opportunity to equalise on 19 minutes when Mitchell Hore put his close range finish wide after Red Devils keeper Nick Harpas had parried Shaun Carlos’ shot.
The impressive Ture crashed a low free kick against the post from wide on the right, but he was not to be denied just after the half-hour.
Striker Lui Ditroia fed the industrious Marco Marino who played a superb defence-splitting pass behind the Lions back four.
Ture again made a late run into the box to steer a composed finish past Luke Borean and hand Campbelltown a two-goal buffer at the break.
Matsumoto once more teed up Ture just after half-time, but the wide man smashed his strike over the bar from just inside the area.
Lions reduced the deficit four minutes into the second stanza.
The Red Devils defence backed off and allowed Thompson space to drive in an unstoppable swerving strike from 25m past Harpas.
It sparked the Queenslanders into life as they pushed the home side back into its defensive half.
But City remained a threat on the break and had a shout for a penalty waved away when Alex Mullen went down under a challenge from Chris Maher.
Skipper Iain Fyfe then had a header cleared off the line from Matsumoto’s corner, before Lions again took control in a seesawing clash.
Harpas had to be at his best to block Marek Madle’s effort after the striker had been played in by Jean Carlos Solorzano.
Carlos then crashed a header against the cross bar from the resulting corner as the Queenslanders pushed hard for an equaliser.
But the Red Devils held firm and might have sealed the success late on when the livewire Matsumoto set up substitute Thomas Veart who shot straight at Borean.
