September 3, 2018
UPDATE: South Burnett United defeated Willowburn White 3-2.
Earlier:
South Burnett United will play in next week’s Toowoomba Football League Grand Final after triumphing over the University of Southern Queensland on Sunday.
United won the match 6-3 when the two teams met at Dixon Oval in Gatton.
It was the third time this season United have beaten USQ, winning their first round match 9-1, and a rematch in mid-August 3-1.
Football South Burnett president Troy Schultz said he welcomed United’s return to form after they suffered a surprise draw with Chinchilla in the final round of this year’s competition, followed by a 1-0 loss to Willowburn White in the major semi-final.
“United did extremely well in the first three-quarters of this year’s competition, and then I think they sort of fell into auto-pilot mode,” Troy said.
However, he believed getting a draw with Chinchilla was a wake-up call for the squad which has prompted a return to form.
United had been sitting in second place on the ladder for most of the season, but their recent results saw them slide into equal third with USQ and Highfields.
Sunday’s victory reversed this, though, assuring the local side will come home in either first or second slot when the season wraps up on September 9.
Schultz said this was a remarkable achievement, given this is the squad’s first year in the Darling Downs competition.
But he warned that Willowburn White has proven to be United’s most formidable competitor.
When the two teams first met in round 4, United secured a 2-all draw against Willowburn.
The home side were then defeated 3-nil by Willowburn at their second encounter in round 16, and 1-nil in the semi-final match on August 26 which saw Willowburn secure a Grand Final berth.
Sunday’s Grand Final will be played at Clive Berghofer Stadium in Toowoomba, kicking off at 11:00am.
A supporters’ bus is being arranged to ferry South Burnett fans to the match, and details about it can be found on South Burnett United’s Facebook page
