Words: Michael Flynn
Image: Keith Eigeland/Football Queensland

Brisbane City coach Glen Volker won't let the mathematics of NPL Queensland Finals qualification distract him ahead of tonight’s match with Harimau Muda ‘A’ at Spencer Park.

Friday night’s 2-0 home loss to Moreton Bay United saw City drop to seventh in the standings by round’s end – five points outside the finals places with four matches remaining but with a game in hand on their finals rivals.

Tonight’s fixture offers last year’s Grand Finalists the chance to strengthen their position before ‘six-point games’ against fellow finals aspirants Redlands United, Sunshine Coast Fire and FNQ FC Heat to close the season.

However, speaking immediately after the Jets defeat Volker explained he was more concerned with performance than the complexities of finals calculations.

“I know sort of where we are but with the league this year I haven’t really bothered to look at the table too much,” Volker said.

“I’m more worried about how we’re performing and what we’re doing and if you win games it takes care of itself.”

“If someone tells me we’re out of the finals race after a certain result then I’ll believe it but I’m not going to spend a lot of time poring through the table and working out all the mathematical issues,” he added.

Regarding performance, Volker conceded his side should have taken greater advantage of a Jets side that played two-thirds of the match a man down after defender Alex Henderson’s first-half dismissal.

“I am disappointed in how we played especially in that first half where we didn’t take our opportunities.”

He added: “We were poor in that first half and even in the second half we had a plan to move them around, to tire them out, because we knew they had ten men.”

“Unfortunately when it came down to the last 15 minutes when we really thought we would over-run them, and I think that to an extent did over-run them and create a lot of chances, we had already given up a second goal and that sort of killed it off.”

Despite Friday's disappointing return, Volker said his side would "have a red-hot go" at qualifying for their second successive NPL Queensland Final Series.

“I go into every game confident we can win,” Volker concluded.

City are expected to be without recently-returned striker Antonio Murray, who was omitted from the preliminary match day squad.

Kick-off at Spencer Park between Brisbane City and Harimau Muda ‘A’ is scheduled for 7:30pm tonight.