Bluebirds coach hails team’s hat-trick hero
GALLERY: How the all-important CQ Premier League clash with Central played out.
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FOOTBALL: Liam Mclean scored a hat-trick for Bluebirds United in a vital victory that secured them second spot on the CQ Premier League ladder.
The hard-working striker found the net in the 38th, 50th and 59th minutes of the Round 14 clash with third-placed Central that ended at 3-2.
Frenchville’s Ryan Hawken also bagged three in his team’s 4-nil win over Capricorn Coast, while Nerimbera and Berserker Southside played out a 4-all draw.
Bluebirds coach Gary Skinner said it was an important win for the team, who were desperate to bounce back after their 3-nil loss to competition leaders Frenchville last week.
“We put a fair bit of importance on making sure we got the full three points so that we not only secured second spot, but we got ourselves back on track after a bad week last week,” he said.
“The boys were very disappointed about their performance after the Frenchville game and they wanted to make amends for it.”
Bluebirds maintained their composure after they found themselves down 1-nil early in the game.
They started to get the ascendancy in the midfield and opportunities came, Mclean capitalising on one for his first goal that had the teams level at half-time.
He slotted two more to get Bluebirds out to a 3-1 lead before Central got one back late in the second half.
Skinner praised the efforts of his hat-trick hero.
“Liam’s been really good for us all year. The amount of work he’s doing off the ball and creating opportunities for other players has been outstanding,” he said.
“He worked for 90 minutes again and this week he got the reward of a hat-trick for it.”
Sam Skinner had a big game, playing a part in all three goals.
Fellow midfielder Nick Kirkpatrick and defender Dylan Hall also impressed.
Bluebirds play Berserker Southside in the last game of the regular season next Saturday before gearing up for their finals campaign.
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