Australia Cup: Edge Hill Utd knocked out of the Cup
Edge Hill United player-coach Crios O’Hare will take full responsibility for the blowout 5-0 loss to Magpies Crusaders United which ended their run in the Australia Cup.
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EDGE Hill United player-coach Crios O’Hare will take full responsibility for the blowout 5-0 loss to Magpies Crusaders United which ended their run in the Australia Cup.
But he wouldn’t change a thing if in the same position again.
The Tigers fought valiantly but were felled by a FQPL1 team which was simply better in its execution on the night.
Where the injury-riddled home side could have had one or two first half goals, the Tigers instead trailed 2-0 after conceding avoidable goals.
“The result wasn’t great but the performance we put in was excellent,” O’Hare said.
“Anyone watching the game would see we were in it.
“It looks one-sided because of the score but we blew a lot of good chances to score.”
“We missed a few one-on-ones. A few of their goal came from our errors.
“They’re the things you might get away with against a lesser team but they were clinical.”
The goals piled up at regular intervals in the second half, a result of O’Hare going all-in as his side chased a result.
“We had the option to sit back when it got to 3-0 but we were going to go down swinging,” O’Hare said.
“Whether it’s 3-0, 5-0, 10-0, the margin doesn’t matter in the Cup, if you lose you’re out.
“We wanted to go out swinging so we ran three at the back and brought on an extra striker towards the end.
“That's part of the reason it got to 5-0.
“I’m proud of the players, they played tough but I’ll take full responsibility for the loss.”
The loss ends Edge Hill Utd’s Australia Cup run, while Magpies Crusaders Utd will prepare to host A-League club Macarthur Bulls.
But it will allow the Tigers to focus on the league, and, more importantly, dig themselves out of the worst run since O’Hare came on as coach.
They have lost three and drawn one in their previous four games, and a clash with Redlynch Strikers United on Tuesday shapes as their chance to rediscover the form which took them to three straight trebles.
And he won’t be treating the premier grade newcomers lightly.
“The way things are at the moment we have to play our strongest possible team,” he said.
“We haven’t had a win in four games, so it doesn’t matter who we play.
“Redlynch almost caused an upset against Stratford, and they held us to a draw, so we won’t be taking any team lightly.
“We’ve played less games than anyone else in the league so we need to get on track.”
PREVIEW: TIGERLAND UNDER SIEGE
EDGE Hill United face the toughest challenge of the Crios O’Hare era on Saturday when the Far North football powerhouse hosts Magpies Crusaders United in the Australia Cup.
With two losses and a draw in their most recent four stars, O’Hare has not been in this position since taking over as Edge Hill Utd coach.
His team lost just two games in 2019, none in 2020, and two in 2021 to across all competitions to boast one of the best records in Queensland over that time.
This Australia Cup tie, against the team they dumped from the 2021 knockout tournament - and on their turf, no less - feels different, with the Tigers battling a crippling injury toll and player availability issues which has left the side susceptible to attack.
O’Hare himself is under an injury cloud, and just 24 hours from kick-off was rated a 50-50 chance of sitting on the bench, let alone starting at striker where he won the 2021 Golden Boot title and holds a big lead this year.
“It hasn’t been a great few weeks for us,” O’Hare said.
“We’ve lost a couple of games, we drew one on the weekend.
“I’m not going to stand here and make excuses, we haven’t been good enough in the last few games. The games we lost we haven’t defended well enough and we haven’t been clinical up front.
“We need to be better in a few areas. Coming up against Mackay will be difficult, and we certainly need to lift if we’re going to get anything from this game.”
That recent run, during which Edge Hill Utd fell to Marlin Coast twice and was held to a 0-0 draw by lowly Stratford, hasn’t made too much of an impression on O’Hare.
“It’s a bigger deal for others than it is for us,” O’Hare said. “We’ve had a couple of poor results from a couple of poor performances, but at the end of the day it’s only a couple of losses.
“We’ve got the squad, the confidence and the experience to get past it. My faith in the team and the players is as high as ever, I’m sure we’ll bounce back and I hope we bounce back this weekend.”
Winger Ben McDonnell, who returned from a serious leg injury earlier this season, said the past few weeks hadn’t gone to plan, but was hopeful the side could get it together and get the result against their highly-fancied opponents.
“We haven’t shown up, but it’s good overall,” McDonnell said.
“The first few games were a bit shaky but I feel now, I don’t think about it anymore.
“If everything goes to plan we should be happy with a good result.”
Carlos Lewong, who was at Magpies in 2019-20 and could start in place of O’Hare, said he had scouted his opponent.
“A few times our boys were there for tournaments so we got to watch a few of their games there or on YouTube, but they’re a good side,” Lewong said. “Crios puts us in a good position mentally and physically, regardless of the situation we’re in or challenges coming up, but overall the boys are confident. We work hard.”
Edge Hill Utd will play on the familiar dimensions of Tiger Park, and if that helps gives the side an advantage against a side like Magpies, who are sixth in FQPL1 with a 7-6 record, then O’Hare will take it.
“Hopefully it’s an advantage for us playing at home and having the support of our supporters and members here - and hopefully the football community here in Cairns,” he said.
“What we did last year was great, but that’s a long time ago and it’s a different set of players.
“From what we’ve seen of Mackay they’re a good team, and they’re in good form as well.
“We expect them to be good, playing the level they do. They’ve made some good signings during the week and they’re not coming up here to lose and they'll’ be looking to make up for last year’s result.
“All the pressure is on them.
“We get told all the time that we’re just a local team in Cairns and no one expects much from us so we’ll see how we go. We'll certainly give it all that we can.”
Kick-off is at 7pm.
BULLS BECKON
A potential date with A-League club Macarthur FC will not change how Edge Hill United approaches Saturday’s blockbuster Australia Cup clash with Mackay’s Magpies Crusaders United.
The reward up for grabs in the already high-stakes national knockout clash at Tiger Park became even more enticing after Wednesday night’s draw for the Australia Cup’s Round of 32.
The removal of last year’s zonal system meant it was a completely open draw, with the winner of Saturday night’s game to host Macarthur FC.
Edge Hill United player-coach Crios O’Hare is one Tiger racing the clock to be fit for Saturday night, and while his initial reaction to the draw was to go all-in, he has maintained he won’t do anything differently in his approach.
“When it comes to injuries and player welfare, when it comes to looking those injuries, we’re still early in the season and there’s a long way to go,” O’Hare said.
“The chance of hosting an A-League club doesn’t change anything in that regard.”
On the draw, O’Hare said it was another big opportunity for the football community to see a high-level side in action, but he wasn’t thinking past Magpies Crusaders United.
“It’s obviously a big motivator to go and get that result, but if the boys had any trouble being motivated for the game I’d be worried. It’s massive not just for our team and the club, but for the community,” he said.
“It would be great for the town and region to have an A-League club come up.
“Some of us had the experience of playing Sydney FC a few years ago, and that was a great opportunity.
“But I’m not thinking that far ahead. It is a big game, with a big opportunity, and Mackay are probably thinking similar, but we’re focused on them.”
Saturday’s game will kick off at 7pm.
matthew.mcinerney1@news.com.au
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Originally published as Australia Cup: Edge Hill Utd knocked out of the Cup
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