Peninsula Power founding president Craig Feuerriegel has called today’s Australia Cup quarter-final the biggest game in their 22-year history, with the four-time Queensland champions a game from becoming the first state-league side to reach the competition’s semi-finals via an open draw.
If today’s opponents in Sydney United 58 produced the story of the Cup so far in knocking out Western United, then the Power’s efforts against Green Gully must come second. Trailing by a goal with ten minutes to play they scored twice in thirty seconds, the first directly from a corner, to the delight of the A.J. Kelly Park crowd.
‘It was amazing, we went a goal down and Green Gully were a very good side. We thought ‘where are we going to get this goal from?’ When Josh Woolley hooked that corner in the place just erupted’, Feuerriegel told Box2Box.
‘Low and behold we’d barely taken our seats again and it was in the back of the net again, by another veteran in Alex Smith. It [sets up] a massive game for us, to be honest it’s probably the biggest game in the history of our club.’
Feuerriegel is better placed than most to make that statement, as the former president of Margate Football Club who sparked the conversation with local rivals Redcliffe City that saw them merge in 2000. It’s a unification that continues to bear fruit, having lifted state premierships in 2009, 2018 & 2020.
‘The Redcliffe peninsula had two clubs in the same division in the 90’s when I became president of Margate Football Club, but the vision was always to have one strong club on the peninsula. I approached the president of Redcliffe and we formed a plan to make one strong club out of the two, which the Queensland Soccer Federation and local council were right on board with.
‘The local derbies were great back in the day, but for the future of football in our city we needed to have one club; to be able to embrace the community as one, rather than as two seperate resources.’
The club are now also carving a reputation for themselves on the national stage at the third time of asking, after previously hosting Melbourne City (2017) and Brisbane Roar (2021) in the Round of 31. Hosting A-League opposition is great for a club’s coffers, but more often than not brings an abrupt end to their time in the national spotlight.
‘I was hoping for an A-League side as we’d play that at Redcliffe stadium here, it’s always a great occasion. Against Melbourne City we had over 4,000 people here, we had 3,500 last year against Brisbane Roar. They are great occasions and great for the club as well.
‘The team we have this weekend have a very rich history from the old NSL days, they’re a big club and have had some great players come through. They have some good players at the moment, and knocked off an A-League side last round!
‘So I know we’re in for a big challenge, but they’ve got to come and play us at our ground with our passionate supporters. I know they’ve got a few passionate supporters as well, so it should be a great occasion.’
If you are able to make it to A.J. Kelly park on Sunday afternoon, make sure to indulge in the time-honoured Australia Cup tradition and get to their canteen.
‘We’ve got a fantastic sweet chilli chicken and fried rice, which our canteen owner produces, he used to run a café. We’ve also been told we have pretty good hot chips, it’s a standard canteen format, and we’ll run a BBQ on big days like this, too.’