United out to cause headaches in final rounds
GOLD Coast United coach Kristian Rees has admitted the “pressure is off’’ now NPL finals football is officially out of reach after the club’s 1-2 loss to the Western Pride last week.
The loss means United are mathematically incapable of finishing in the top four come season’s end.
The Gold Coast Knights will instead fly the flag for the Glitter Strip, though Rees said he wouldn’t let his side crumble in the final weeks of the 2019 season.
“We still want to set a few goals for ourselves and try to finish as high as we can,” he said.
Though failing to qualify for finals, Rees said the club still had plenty to play for in the final four games of the season.
“The honest truth is that we have some boys playing for their future at the club,” he said. “There shouldn’t be any game we go into not wanting to win.”
Despite controlling the game for large periods, Rees said two crucial lapses of concentration proved United’s downfall in last week’s loss against the Pride who are fighting to avoid relegation.
“We probably gave them too much but to their credit, they dug their heels in and fought for their lives,” he said.
United face a similar challenge this week against the SWQ Thunder who are in the bottom three and at risk of not returning to the NPL next year.
“They’re a team who are known to put in a lot of effort and fight hard so we need to make sure we match their intensity,” Rees said.
Today’s match kicks off at 5pm at Clive Berghoffer Stadium in Toowoomba.
The Gold Coast Knights play Brisbane City at 6.30pm at Corporate Travel Management Stadium in Newmarket.