IPSWICH FC’s impressive FQPL 1 Men’s campaign has come to an end after a heartbreaking 1-0 elimination final defeat to Sunshine Coast Wanderers at Ballinger Park on Sunday night.
A goal just three minutes before half-time proved the difference as the Wanderers survived a determined Ipswich challenge to progress deeper into the finals.
For Ipswich, it was a frustrating end to a season which had earned it a place among the competition’s finals contenders.
With everything on the line in the knockout clash, neither side was able to find an early breakthrough as the contest developed into the tight, tense affair expected of elimination football.
The decisive moment arrived in the 42nd minute when Sunshine Coast’s Daniel Latinovic found the back of the net to give the home side a 1-0 advantage heading into the sheds.
That left Ipswich needing to chase the game throughout the second half.
The pressure and intensity increased during the closing stages, with Latinovic shown a yellow card in the 88th minute before Ipswich’s Deng Deng was booked a minute later.
For Ipswich FC, the final whistle brought a sudden and painful conclusion to its campaign, although there will be plenty for the club to take from a season which saw Ipswich qualify for the FQPL 1 finals and give itself an opportunity to compete for promotion when the pressure was at its highest.
