Rash of yellow cards sees City play it safe on squad selection
Common goal for rivals
GOLD Coast City have decided to err on the side of caution by resting four players from their NPL Queensland match on the Sunshine Coast today.
City have four players sitting on four carryover yellow cards which means any of them would receive an automatic one-match suspension by incurring a fifth.
“We have a number of changes for this weekend, only because we have guys on four yellow cards,” coach Grae Piddick said.
“If they played this weekend and any of them received a yellow card then they would miss the first final.
“We’ve decided worth risking them.” it’s not
The four “yellows” are Martin Vasquez, Jordan Lampard, Ben Lyvidikos and Jaidan Walker.
“So we’re bringing up some kids from our youth squad,” Piddick said.
In an interesting final round, City (third on 38 points) must beat Sunshine Coast and hope for an upset, or a draw, by South West Queensland away to Far North Queensland (second on 40) in Cairns.
At stake is a home semifinal because FNQ and City will finish either second or third.
“We know we’ll be playing the Heat (in a final), it’s just a matter of where,” Piddick said. COACHING rivals Col Phelan and Keith Garland have a common target for the final round of Gold Coast Premier League matches today.
And that is to win – at all costs. Phelan is chasing victory with Magic United against new league champions Broadbeach United at Nikiforides Park where victory would seal the finals double chance.
Across town at Lex Bell Oval, Garland and his Burleigh Heads Bulldogs are up against Surfers Paradise, the team locked with Magic in the battle for second on the ladder.
But there is plenty at stake here, particularly for Burleigh, who will finish second last on the ladder with a loss which means a promotion-relegation battle with Pacific Pines from Coast League 1.
Garland knows he has two bites of the cherry to stay in Premier League but he would be happier not having to use the second option.
“But we do not intend doing it that way because we’d like to stay up on, merit,” he said.
“We’ve got a big one here but the last couple of matches have been against the good sides so all we can do is give it our best.”
Should Burleigh stage an upset, the promotion playoff spot would then go to Palm Beach or Coomera, who play each other at Mallawa Drive.
Murwillumbah host relegated Mudgeeraba at Jim Devine Field in Murwillumbah.