Words: Steve Pitman
Image: Brisbane Strikers

Brisbane Strikers coach Chay Hews remains confident of upsetting league leaders Palm Beach Sharks this Wednesday night despite his team playing its third game in eight days.

Sharks, who have been beaten only once this season, are closing in on the NPL Queensland title and are favoured to win on their home ground at Mallawa Complex.

However, Hews was positive about his team’s prospects despite Saturday’s 2-0 home loss to FNQ FC Heat that saw his side slip to fourth in the league table

“I watched the match video (of the loss to Heat) on Sunday and to be honest I wasn’t as disappointed as I thought I would be”, Hews said.

“We actually played some really good stuff and with a little bit of luck and maybe a little bit of desperation, or composure, in front of goal we might have got a couple of goals early on and we could have killed the game off.”

“But that’s football. It didn’t work out for us and even the goals (Heat) got were quite weak. I was a bit disappointed for the boys, but I think there were a lot of positives to come out of it and we’ve got a game already on Wednesday so I think the boys are buzzing and ready to go again.

Despite niggling injuries within the squad, Hews said he expected to have his full contingent available for the important clash with Sharks.

“The boys looked like they had energy at training tonight and they looked quite sharp, so I was quite surprised”, Hews said.

Sharks defeated Strikers 3-2 in their previous meeting at Perry Park, with the league-leaders scoring in both the first and last minutes of the match, however Hews said that result would not weigh on his mind or those of his players.

“I’ve talked to some people that know how they play and done a little bit of research coming into this game”, Hews said.

“I thought we did quite well in the first round. We gave them a soft goal really early, but I thought we maybe did enough to probably win that game and we ended up losing to a dubious goal in extra time.”

Hews added that the Mallawa Complex surface wouldn’t lend itself to attractive football.

“Their field down there is not really up to scratch in terms of any sort of quality football, which is unfortunate for us – we like to keep the ball on the deck and try and play.”

Tonight’s kick-off between Sharks and Strikers is scheduled for 8PM.