KNIGHTS HAVE TOO MUTCH FOR BURLEIGH

Burleigh Heads 2 (C. Boutsianis, W. Russell)

Gold Coast Knights 4 (D. Mutch 2, D. Pilic, A. Beard)

HT 1:1

A BRACE from David Mutch and further goals from David Pilic and Ashley Beard gave Gold Coast Knights a massive three points against title rivals Burleigh Heads in an enthralling encounter at Pizzey Park.

Six goals, a penalty, a red card and gutsy performances from two committed sides gave the healthy local crowd a game to remember. Locked at 2-2 with just three minutes remaining the game could have swung either way, but two late strikes from the Knights sealed the precious points for John Stewart’s men, who now have a four-point break on the increasingly inconsistent Burleigh.

The opening 17 minutes was eventful to say the least for Burleigh talisman Con Boutsianis. First, in just the eighth minute, he gave his side the lead when he coolly nodded home Aaron Bristow’s far post cross after the Knights had looked the sharper of the two sides early on.

Then nine minutes later Boutsianis was sent for an early shower after referee Nathan Connor brandished a red card when he heard the former Socceroo swearing at a team-mate. The incident was uncharacteristic for Boutsianis but potentially disastrous for his side who were already beginning to feel the weight of increasing Knights’ pressure. 

With six minutes to go before the interval the Knights squared the ledger when David Mutch grabbed the first of his double with a neat finish after he was picked out beautifully by Keegan Georgio’s through ball.

The end-to-end action continued after the break as both sides went for the win in what was becoming a fiercely contested match. After a feisty opening 20 minutes it was a touch of artistry from midfield schemer David Pilic that put the Knights in front, his 25-metre peach of a free-kick giving Burleigh ‘keeper Kane Swift no chance. 

A man down and now a goal down, it was looking grim for Col Phelan’s Burleigh side but his gritty troops rallied and Wade Russell earned them a lifeline when his determined run was halted in the box by Ivica Sabelja.

Russell dusted himself down and tucked away the resulting penalty to make it 2-2 and it looked as though Burleigh Heads were on their way to a creditable point.

The Knights had other ideas though and they showed their title credentials with a rousing final 10 minutes. Mutch almost restored their lead when Pilic’s driving run from midfield set him up, but his shot thundered against the crossbar.

It was a warning sign of things to come however and Mutch made no mistake minutes later when he hit the decisive third for the Knights following some indecision in the home defence. Ashley Beard made the points absolutely safe with the fourth goal right on the final whistle, to the delight of his coach, John Stewart.

“We had about three or four reserve team players out there as we have a few injuries, so to come here and get a result like this is tremendous,” Stewart said.

“We’ve shown in the games in which we’ve come from behind that we run the 90 minutes out and we proved it again today,” he added.

The result keeps the Knights top of the Buffalo Sports Premier League but Burleigh have now registered only one win in their last four outings; a statistic that is not lost on boss Col Phelan.

“I say it all the time; if we don’t take our chances we get punished. The lads have worked hard though and all credit to them. We were down to ten men, dug in and got ourselves back in the game but we got punished for trying to be a bit too clever at the back and there was no communication,” he said.

Although pleased with the gritty display from his side, Phelan was more than a little upset with the dismissal of attacking maestro Boutsianis, who will now be missing for five weeks due to coaching commitments in the US.  

“I insist that my players play with passion and if that means one player having a go at another on the pitch, then that’s how you get the best out of them; it happens,” Phelan said.

He continued: “They both said a few words to each other then Con swore at him. We’re all grown men and it happened in the confines of the pitch.

“The referee spotted him, sent him off and it spoiled the game. One of the best players that we’ve ever had on the Gold Coast and he’s sitting in the dressing room [for the rest of the match].

“Fair enough if there are women and kids around and someone is swearing and carrying on - I’m not condoning that - but this happened on the park.”