Murphy fires shot at main title rivals
To claim the title City (second on 48 points and trailing Strikers on goal difference) have to beat Moreton Bay and have the Strikers either draw or lose to Brisbane Olympic when they play tomorrow night.
But Murphy believes that the Strikers are vulnerable, saying they will not handle the pressure.
Of course City have to beat Moreton Bay today. That is the first part of the equation.
“We can still win the title and we are going to put the pressure right back on Strikers,” Murphy declared.
“Let’s see if they have the bottle to handle that pressure.
“I know they won’t be able to handle it. In my mind, if we win this weekend we will win the league. I just don’t think (Strikers) have got it in them.”
Those are bold words indeed given City have lost inform striker Jarrod Kyle courtesy of a dislocated shoulder.
Despite his confidence, Murphy accepts that the failure to take maximum points from that and other fixtures this year may ultimately prove telling in the title race.
“We’ve missed a lot of goals this year and leaked some silly goals too – so we have to accept that we have put ourselves in this position,” Murphy said.
“We’ve had three or four chances to put the league to bed this season and we haven’t taken them.”
In a quirk of the draw, City are playing Moreton Bay again on Wednesday night (August 23) in a Westfield FFA Cup round of 16 fixture. BURLEIGH Heads are in the box seat to claim fourth spot for the Gold Coast Premier League finals heading into a tense final round of matches today.
While the Gold Coast Knights are the new champions, there remain two important fixtures to decide the composition for the finals that start next week.
The first involves Surfers Paradise and their bid to claim second place from Broadbeach United.
The second is the scrap between Burleigh and Gold Coast Knights to be played at Pizzey Park (3pm kickoff).
Surfers are playing Magic United at Birmingham Road needing to win and have Broadbeach beaten by Murwillumbah at Jim Devine Field over the border.
Surfers would grab second spot under that scenario.
But the real intrigue will be at Pizzey Park.
Burleigh are fourth with 27 points and a goal difference of minus-9. Murwillumbah are on 24 points and a minus-13 goals difference.
There are a number of possible outcomes, obviously starting with a Burleigh win over the new champions that would get them into the finals.
But 4-0 loss by the Bulldogs and a 4-0 win by Murwillumbah would give the Warning fourth on goal difference, as would 3-0 results.
A 1-0 win by both finals hopefuls would put the Bulldogs into fourth but 2-2 draws would be really interesting.
If that happens the Dogs and the Warning would have identical records – 34 goals for and 45 goals against – and it would go to a recap of scores in the three matches between the clubs this season.
The first was drawn 3-3, the second went 3-0 to Murwillumbah and the third was 3-2 Burleigh’s way.
With an 8-6 goals advantage Murwillumbah would stay alive.
“We’ve done well to get this far and it’d be a massive achievement to make the top four the way that we started and the way we have progressed,” Burleigh coach Keith Garland said.
“Obviously Murwillumbah have to win, nothing else will do them, but the ball is certainly in our court.”
In the other match today Coomera host Palm Beach at Viney Park.
– TERRY WILSON