SOCCER: The Whitsunday FC Premier Men suffered their first loss of the season, losing 2-1 at the hands of the Magpies in Mackay at the weekend.

The round 10 loss sees the Mackay side close the gap to three points, with WFC still in control at the top of the competition.

The match started well for a dominant away side, taking the lead midway through the first half after a penalty was awarded for a foul in the box. Vice-captain Ben McLoughlin stepped up to tuck the resulting spot kick neatly into the corner.

Momentum soon shifted in favour of the home side when they equalised before the break, and the injury toll didn't help the away side as cracks started to appear.

Both sides re-emerged from the dressing rooms eager to take control and the second half soon descended into a scrappy affair.

The Magpies took the lead from a free kick early on and the Whitsunday boys couldn't recover, despite their best efforts.

This weekend sees all men's teams on a bye.

Football manager Anthony Nobilia said it was a spirited effort.

"Considering the injury list, which continues to grow, we performed above expectation and really took the game to them," he said.

"We're still in control at the top of the table and the competition is ours to lose, so we're going to learn from this match and look to improve."

Reserve Men

The reserve men also went down 3-1 in a close contest against the Magpies. They are also suffering from increasing injury woes.

The away side competed admirably, with the boys who stepped up to cover from the Division One side showing they were not overawed by the contest.

Youngsters Byron Thompson, Andrew McHugh and Harry Hodgen competed on a level playing field, although injury to veteran Ian Radford may see him out for the season.

Division One Women

The Whitsunday Division One women went down 3-1 to a strong Country side but performed well in the match despite player shortages.

With the score 2-1 at half-time, and having started with the bare 11, the girls struggled to keep the pressure on. The situation worsened when injury ruled Darcy Borrellini out for the rest of the match.

The women's team is the only Whitsunday FC team playing this weekend. They'll be in action against City Brothers in Mackay. Kick-off is at 4pm.