No Easing Up As Strikers Chase Seven-From-Seven Target

Matt Thurtell: The smiling assassin will be looking for his eighth goal against the Spirit this season

It’s a case of ‘four down, three to go’ as David Large’s resurgent Brisbane Strikers travel to Bundaberg this weekend in search of the fifth scalp in their quest to deliver on a pact to win their last seven Hyundai QSL fixtures.

The Strikers’ stirring 1-0 victory over league leaders Sunshine Coast Fire at Perry Park last week was their fourth straight victory since setting themselves the target and, if history is any guide, their next opponents – Bundaberg Spirit – should present a far less stringent threat to their ambitions than the Fire did.

In six previous QSL games against the Strikers, Bundaberg have had an absolutely wretched time of things, losing all six while conceding a mountain of goals (34) and scoring just two.  That is a record that simply does not bear thinking about for the Spirit as they approach this game – so in all probability coach Richard Mitchell will have them thinking of almost anything else in the universe as they approach the fixture.

Certainly Brisbane Strikers leading scorer Matt Thurtell, who has scored seven times against the Spirit this season, suggested today that they should be doing just that, as he reflected on the two team’s most recent fixture in Round 12 in mid-June.  On that night, at Perry Park, the Spirit were competitive and offered plenty in attack for the first thirty minutes of the match before suffering a blow-out and eventually going down 7-1.

“I think Bundaberg have improved a lot this year and their results lately have been quite good”, Thurtell said.  “Last time, at Perry Park, their coach made them play the ball out from the back and at least try to play football, and they were going quite well.  If they just try to stay positive anything could happen.  But we’ll just go in and give our best and hopefully it will be a good game”.

Thurtell insisted that the Strikers would not take Bundaberg lightly and said that the key to ensuring the underdogs do not climb off the canvass was in starting strongly.

“They’ve picked up a few players and they are always strong physically, so we are not expecting an easy game”, he said.  “But we will play our own kind of game.  We’ll pass the ball around and attack and try to break them down early, because if you get an early goal it can deflate a team quickly”.

Thurtell also said that any tendency the Strikers might have had towards complacency this weekend would be warded off by the fact that he and his team mates could sense themselves closing in on their “seven from seven” target.

“It’s always good to set goals and we are achieving it so far, and it is adding that bit more drive and momentum to us”, Thurtell said.

One player the Strikers will definitely be wary of is Bundaberg’s Ray Miller, a recent arrival at the club who played on the right wing in the Round 12 fixture.  Miller gave a very good account of himself that night, causing the Strikers numerous problems with his speed, dribbling skills and aggression.  If Miller plays in that position again the Strikers will need to be wary, particularly if the ever-reliable Brad McDonald, who did not train on Tuesday night because of a hamstring strain after playing thirty-five minutes for A-League club North Queensland Fury against Gold Coast United on Sunday, is unable to take his place on the left side of the Strikers’ formation.

Bundaberg are also likely to have their first-choice central midfield combination of captain Brett Kitching and Laurie Stephenson available to add toughness and experience to their game.  Stephenson, a feisty character who always makes life interesting for opponents, was not in the team that wilted in losing 7-1.

McDonald is the only real injury concern for Strikers coach David Large, who is resisting the temptation to rest a few players nursing minor injury niggles in favour of helping his players achieve their wins target.  His selection problems revolve more around how to integrate the likes of Jonti Richter, who is ready to play again after a year out with injury, and Jordan Farina, who scored a hat-trick for the Strikers’ youth team last week to press his claims for a recall to the senior side.