Words: Michael Flynn

Palm Beach SC’s Nik Mirkovic says he and his team are regaining momentum ahead of Saturday’s Westfield FFA Cup match against SWQ Thunder in Toowoomba.

The defending PlayStation® 4 NPL Queensland Premiers-Champions have been hot-and-cold in 2015 following a series of off-season departures that forced coach Grae Piddick to tinker with last year's winning formula.

However, Sharks are now undefeated in the past two league matches and Mirkovic pointed to their epic previous round win against Broadbeach - where the 20-year-old winger scored in extra-time to force a penalty shoot-out - as the kick-start their campaign needed.

“Having started the season slowly in the league, the cup has really got us going this year,” he said.

“I think we were struggling to see games out and it’s just the small things like a defensive lapse or in the final third not being able to finish our chances.”

“But we scraped through against Broadbeach - and that was a tough game against a local team - so now we really want to keep going on into the last 32 like last year.”

Mirkovic is himself only just coming to the boil after his pre-season preparations were severely hindered by glandular fever.

“I missed the whole pre-season and only just joined the boys a week before the season started,” he explained.

“Last year I came into the season and tapered off towards the end after a disruption with a medial ligament injury, but now I’m hoping that this second half of the season I will come through much stronger.”

The fixture against Thunder is a repeat of last year’s knock-out clash at the same stage of the competition, which Sharks won 4-0 before embarking on a dream Westfield FFA Cup Quarter Final run.

Sharks also cruised past Thunder 3-0 earlier this year, but Mirkovic said he and his teammates are conscious of not falling victim to an upset.

“Thunder are definitely a better side this year than they were last year and having to travel to Toowoomba on a two-and-a-half hour drive isn’t going to help,” he said.

“I expect us to win, obviously, but it’s not going to be as easy as it is on paper,” he concluded.

The winner of the Thunder-Sharks match will be only one win away from the national Round of 32 and meets the winner of the Wide Bay-Sunshine Coast zones playoff in the next round.

Fixture details:

Westfield FFA Cup Southern Zone Quailfying Round 6
SWQ Thunder FC v Palm Beach SC
Middle Ridge Park, Toowoomba
Saturday, June 6
Kick-off - 5:00PM