Dog & Parrot FA Cup Quarter-Final Preview

THE Dog & Parrot FA Cup takes centre stage this weekend with the competition reaching the quarter-final stage.

All four games are to be held on Saturday afternoon (all 4.00pm kick-off) with the Buffalo Sports Premier League taking a back seat this week as the coaches of the eight quarter-finalists try to plot the downfall of their opponents.

Perhaps the most nervous of all the Premier League coaches will be Surfers Paradise boss Keith Garland, whose winless outfit take on Round 2 giant-killers Kingscliff at Reg Dalton Oval.

Kingscliff, currently lying in second place on the Division One ladder with a game in hand, emphatically disposed of powerhouse Burleigh Heads in the last round with a shock 4-1 victory.

If current form counts for anything then Surfers face a potential banana skin with Kingscliff winning all their matches this season, the latest being last weekend’s 4-1 win over Runaway Bay.

Surfers on the other hand threw away a two-goal lead at Musgrave in their last outing, eventually going down 4-2 to the title-chasers.

“After last week this will be a good challenge for us and we’re really looking forward to it to be honest,” Garland said.

He continued: “Kingscliff are obviously keen on getting promotion and they’ve recruited well and started the season well. They turned over Burleigh Heads quite comfortably in the last round of the cup I believe and this will be a very tough game for us, there’s no doubt about that.

“We need a tough game though and we also need to put in a good performance to get some confidence going through the squad. If we can get a win under our belts soon it will give us something to build on and hopefully we can get that this weekend.”

The Dog & Parrot FA Cup will be a welcome distraction from Premier League action for Palm Beach who will be eager to reverse their form slide that has seen them take only one point from their last two games.

Adem Poric’s men take on another out of form side in Nerang and will be strong favourites to advance to the semi-finals, particularly with home advantage.

Broadbeach Utd will see the Dog & Parrot FA Cup as perhaps their best opportunity of claiming some silverware this season. Their tie with high-flying Musgrave is far from a foregone conclusion and United Coach Simon Kabala will no doubt be looking for an early goal to settle their nerves and give them something to defend. 

However, Musgrave mentor Oscar Langone will be keen to avoid the drama that punctuated their come-from-behind Premier League win over Surfers Paradise last Sunday. After watching his troops struggle to restore parity for almost eighty minutes, then run out 4-2 winners, Langone will want a more pragmatic approach from his men.

John Stewart’s Gold Coast Knights should be confident of continuing their excellent recent form and will be strong favourites to dispose of Mudgeeraba.

The Knights walloped Nerang 5-2 last weekend with Luke Sleight bagging a hat-trick and overcame fellow title challengers Burleigh Heads the week before.

Mudgeeraba on the other hand have displayed a Jekyll and Hyde personality so far this term and perhaps even their coach Marc Boelen is unsure as to what kind of display he will get from his charges on Saturday night.   

DOG & PARROT FA CUP QUARTER FINAL FIXTURES

Sat 10 May - all games kick off at 4.00pm

Palm Beach v Nerang - Mallawa Drive Sporting Complex, 19^th Ave, Palm Beach.

Kingscliff v Surfers Paradise - Reg Dalton Oval, Shell St, Kingscliff.

Musgrave v Broadbeach Utd - Keith Hunt Park, Musgrave Av, Labrador.  

Gold Coast Knights v Mudgeeraba - Croatian Sports Centre, Carrara.