BUFFALO SPORTS PREMIER LEAGUE - Round 6 Review

BURLEIGH Heads and Gold Coast Knights moved into first and second place respectively on the Buffalo Sports Premier League ladder after both recorded convincing wins over the weekend.

Burleigh disposed of Nerang with a 2-0 win but Coach Col Phelan admitted his nerves were jangling until Matt Heanan sealed the points late on. Momentum is there for Burleigh however and they will test the mettle of Magic United this Sunday when the two sides clash at Carrara Stadium in Round 7.

Magic hold third place on the ladder and they will be keen to reassure supporters that their early season form will not evaporate when faced with top opposition.

This was the case on Saturday night though when Brett Budwee’s side were comprehensively dismantled by the in-form Gold Coast Knights, with the 4-2 scoreline not truly reflecting the Knights’ dominance.

Despite scoring four goals, John Stewart’s men squandered a hatful of chances and when Umut Ozduzenciler reduced the deficit to 3-2 late on, Stewart confessed that temporary seeds of doubt were planted until Luke Sleight made the points absolutely safe.

“We had a lot of chances in the second half but at 3-2 with a minute to go - you’re wondering! It was a good goal at the end but it should’ve more comfortable for us much earlier,” Stewart said.

“We played very well in the middle of the park. Tony Pearcey and David Pilic were very good for us on the night and if they can keep healthy we could go a long way this season,” he added.

Fourteen goals in their last three outings shows the cutting edge is there for the Knights. If they can manage to convert even a fraction of their wasted chances most teams will struggle to keep up.

“We work hard at every training session on our finishing and we’re getting a few different guys scoring which is really good. We work on set-pieces and corners to give ourselves and extra chance of getting something from them,” said the Knights’ boss.

Although Burleigh Heads and Gold Coast Knights both have a game in hand on fourth-placed Musgrave, Coach Oscar Langone has every reason to be optimistic. His side are just one point adrift of the leaders despite a 1-0 loss to Broadbeach United, who themselves desperately needed the points to avoid losing touch with the leading pack. 

Shock of the weekend was Palm Beach’s 1-1 home draw with bottom-of-the-table Surfers Paradise who are fighting tooth and nail for survival. A creditable point at in a difficult away game for Surfers but Keith Garland knows that a sprinkling of wins is required if they are to stake a serious claim to stay up.

Similarly, Palm Beach Coach Adem Poric is hoping his injury list shortens somewhat in the coming weeks so his side can mount their expected challenge at the top. Poric even re-laced the boots and took to the field on Saturday night, showing his troops the way by bashing home the equaliser.

Like Surfers Paradise, Coomera are yet to win this term and the longer this trend continues the more edgy opposition coaches will become in the knowledge that this winless streak is destined to end sooner or later.

Steve Beever has been happy with the performances and commitment of his Coomera team and is convinced that the corner will be turned soon.

This could be a cause for concern for both Mudgeeraba and Nerang who will need to see a form turnaround pretty quickly if they are to avoid being dragged into the dogfight at the bottom.