Fight to fill spot left by pullout

SOUTHPORT president Gerry Glaser admits the club is “disappointed” not to be handed automatic Premier League promotion as the fallout continues from Murwillumbah’s top-flight withdrawal.

While the Warning last month announced their sixseason Premier League foray was over, Football Gold Coast is yet to finalise a plan for their replacement in 2019.

The issue, which has divided the six FGC directors, centres on whether to continue with an eight-team Premier League by choosing one of the three playoff sides – Southport, Musgrave and Tweed United – or bring all three into a 10-team competition.

The topic was due to be discussed again at a board meeting on Thursday night, but FGC general manager Damien

Bresic is hopeful the get-together can be brought forward to today.

Coast League One sides Southport, who lost August’s playoff final to Mudgeeraba, and Musgrave are both keen to feature in the top flight next season, while the Bulletin understands relegated Tweed are not bothered either way.

Having fallen one win short of Premier League promotion, Glaser said he believed Southport deserved to take Murwillumbah’s

spot competition.

“Obviously we’re biased but if you take everything into consideration with how the playoffs eventuated, we are certainly first cab off the rank with promotion. We are disappointed, we believe we should be the ones going up,” Glaser (pictured) said. “We believe we’ve earned the right. We’ve been in the Premier League before and done a good job so we know what it’s all about.

“We had a board meeting … and we thought the best option, to be fair to everybody, would be to put all three of us in (the Premier League) for at least one year and then you live and die on performances.”

Musgrave junior vice-president Jason Shultz, whose club won the Coast League and Coast League reserves grand finals last month, said the Mustangs were “100 per cent ready to go” if promoted.

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