One down, one to go for The Lakes

The Lakes FC has achieved its main goal of the Brisbane Premier League season – and now has a new target.

Finals football arrives on Saturday when The Lakes, which finished third in its first season in Brisbane’s Premier League (BPL), travel to runners-up Bayside United in the semi-finals (5.30pm).

Victory on the southside would secure a place in the grand final at Perry Park on October 17 against premiers Albany Creek Excelsior (ACE) or St George Willawong who meet in the second semi.

Challenge issued

“I challenged the boys at the start of the season to prove people wrong and make the top four,” The Lakes’ Club Captain Josh Fearn said.

“We set the goal and achieved it. Now we have a chance to reach the grand final.”

The Lakes lost 5-0 and 3-1 to Bayside in the regular season, but Fearn said: “Semi-finals are always 50:50 matches.

Big support

“We’ll make sure we prepare well for it. Keep calm and relax. I hope we can take plenty of our supporters to Bayside.”

Fearn and his cousin Daniel Fogarty, main picture, have been key players for The Lakes, scoring 46 of the team’s 60 BPL goals in the regular season.

Fogarty scored six in the final fixtures, an 8-1 thumping of Brisbane Knights, to finish on 29 – joint top scorer with ACE’s Ally Russell and Ryan Shaughnessy.

Bright future

It was a remarkable finish for a team which rose four tiers, from Capital League 3 in 2018 to the BPL in 2021.

“We lost some players during the season and gained some,” said Fearn, who with Fogarty played for the Australian Indigenous men’s team against Peninsula Power in February.

“We have one of the youngest teams in the competition. Players are in their 20s and the goalkeeper is just 18 which is a great looking to the future.”