A-League sides eye Sam
City whiz open to offers after bagging four goals
BIG Englishman Sam Smith’s red-hot form for Gold Coast City in the NPL Queensland competition is starting to attract the attention of ALeague clubs.
Smith took his season tally to 15 goals from 13 games – it should be 16 but for a match report error earlier in the season – with a four-goal haul as Gold Coast City mauled Sunshine Coast Fire 9-0 at Duncan McKenna Field on Saturday night.
It was an equal career high haul, matching the four he scored for Rushden and Diamonds when he was on loan from Hinkley in the English Conference North.
Smith, who has just turned 27, said he would willingly sit down with any A-League scouts who may come calling.
“I haven’t heard of any interest in me so until I do I’ll just concentrate on doing well for Gold Coast,” Smith said.
City coach Grae Piddick described Smith as a great signing for the club after he made contact shortly after arriving in Melbourne early this year.
“We can’t complain,” Piddick joked when asked if Smith is the best recruit signed by the club.
“You have to say he’d be up there – he has been a great signing for us considering he basically made contact with us when he wanted to settle on the Coast.”
Piddick said Smith had the ability to play up a level and that he had heard whispers about interest in his striker from A-League outfits.
Smith’s four goals took his season total to 15, although it should be 16 because match officials erroneously credited a goal against Brisbane Strikers in Round 5 to Smith’s strike force partner Jarrod Kyle.
Smith is leading the NPLQ golden boot race with 15 from 13 games by two from Olympic FC’s Matthew Smith and has scored six at his past two outings in a remarkable show of consistency.
Despite the big win Gold Coast City were left with two injury concerns.
Playmaker Rhys Saunders strained a hamstring late in the first half and goalkeeper Matt Stein rolled an ankle on the stroke of halftime and had to be replaced by young Garion Vogel for his first-team debut.
Both Saunders and Stein are likely to miss at least three matches.