Bundy ready for Strikers
Friday, 08 May 2009
Bundaberg Spirit is on red-alert for a barrage with the star-studded second-placed Brisbane Strikers publicly announcing their mission for a big goal-haul in their ninth round clash at Perry Park tomorrow night.
But ever-confident Spirit coach Richard Mitchell his side can weather the storm and more than match their heavyweight rivals, who not only have to win but also need to bolster their goal difference to stay in contact with leaders Olympic.
The Spirit is winless but after leaking 28 goals in their first five outings, they have greatly improved over the past fortnight in one-goal losses to both North Queensland Razorbacks and Far North Queensland Bulls.
But while Bundaberg has shored up their defence, and the Strikers’ recent form has been luke-warm, suffering their only loss this year at the hands of Olympic, before being lacklustre despite beating Whitsunday Miners 3-1, they have much more firepower than both the Razorbacks and the Bulls.
The competition’s leading goal-scorer Gareth Musson heads a potent attack, and the Spirit’s defence will need to be on song.
But to achieve an elusive win, they must also score goals, and they will need to find a way to get the ball into the back of the net much more regularly than the three that have found their target from their seven games so far, but Mitchell is as up-beat as ever.
“I was out of town earlier in the week and assistant coach Brett Hambrecht took Tuesday’s session and (last) night’s training was also good and we could have a full squad of 16 to pick from for the first time with Mitch Hodgkinson back at training after working away for a month, and Arian Dubroy, Jack Hambrecht and Mitch Broom all back after missing last week, and they are all in the mix,’’ Mitchell said.
“But there’s a couple carrying little injuries, so we’ll wait and see how everyone is and make a decision on the team closer to Saturday.
“I spoke to Strikers coach Stuart McLaren when I was in
“Some people have been having a go at me because I say we can win every week, but I really think we can, and the players think we can.
“It will be a tough, tough game but it’s 11 on 11, but if I listened to all the advice people have given me in the last four weeks, we could beat Manchester United.
“But the players are the important ones – they are the people who win games, and as long as they are confident, we can get a result, and the players certainly deserve it.
“Brett Kitching and Andy Wood have been great week-in-week-out, but every player is working hard and getting better every week, and having that blend of youth back in the squad (with the return of Dubroy, Hambrecht and Broom), it will give us an extra edge that we were missing last week.
“We don’t feel inferior to anyone, but if we keep improving this week, anything could happen, and keep on the same track over the next two, three, four weeks, we will take it from there.’’
Vince Habermann
