Words: Matt Dorman

FNQ Heat coach Martin Docherty says the club will explore other scheduling options for their away trips after last weekend’s 4-2 defeat to Brisbane Roar Youth at Perry Park.

Heat spent the night before their Round 6 clash against Young Roar in Brisbane but Docherty conceded his charges weren’t at their best in the first 45 minutes of the match, falling 2-1 behind prior to half time.

Docherty stressed that he wasn’t making excuses for the result but that his preference remains a round trip on future match days in the south-east of the state.

“We’re at a disadvantage,” Docherty said.

“It might sound great going away for the weekend but you’re not there for a jolly up, you’re there for the game of football.”

“That’s all the players want to do, they want to get down there, prepare properly, play the game of football and then come home to their normal lives.”

As PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland’s northern-most club, Heat’s regular trips to Brisbane and its surrounds make them the most travelled team in PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues nationwide.

This season Heat will make ten trips to the south-east corner of the state. Each round trip consists of more than 3000km - a travel schedule that is comparable to many fully professional Hyundai A-League clubs.

Despite their travel demands, the Cairns club’s road form has been commendable so far this term, taking a point from Sunshine Coast before beating Brisbane City.

Docherty said Heat’s squad and staff alike relished the unique challenges of PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland competition.

“It’s such an incredible experience and opportunity for players and it’s one we absolutely love,” he said.

“I love it as a coach. For me there was no benefit in coaching community football, but coaching in the NPL against coaches who are highly qualified and knowledgeable and playing against better players week-in, week-out is a great challenge.

“Our players give everything. They train three nights a week and don’t get any money. They do it for the love of the game.”

Last year, Heat reached the PlayStation 4 NPL Queensland 2014 Semi-Final in addition to a memorable Westfield FFA Cup run that ended in the Round of 32 against Sydney United 58 in the New South Wales capital.

Docherty believes the quality of competition has risen to another level in 2015 and is keen to overcome an inconsistent start to the new season.

“(Our start is) not as good as what we would have hoped for but you have to put things in perspective,” he said.

“We’ve lost almost three quarters of the squad from last year for a number of reasons.”

“We had really high expectations pre-season but of what I’ve seen of the NPL this year it’s moved to another level,” he concluded.

There will be no travel considerations for Heat this weekend when they play host to the third-placed Western Pride at Endeavour Park on Saturday night in Cairns.