Battle is on for Knights
Spots up for grabs as players overcome injuries
GOLD Coast Knights NPL coach Grae Piddick believes his side’s 2020 ambitions will make it easy to regain the momentum and form that saw them skip out to a four-win start to the year.
The Knights started their season in February with wins over the Brisbane Strikers, Olympic FC, Redlands and Peninsula Power and a draw against Moreton Bay before the season was postponed.
Fresh off a 2019 grand final triumph, Piddick said it would take time to return to the form that had them placed second on the NPL Queensland table but his team was up for the challenge.
“We’ll aim to pick up where we left off but we might also slip into that early-season or pre-season type mode,” Piddick said. “It’s no secret that we want to be up the top end challenging and the boys are up for that challenge.
“Stopping the season came at a bad time so it’s almost like starting again completely but everyone is ready and our ambitions are pretty high.”
Piddick also predicted battles for spots in his starting 11 will be rife with the break allowing several injured players to fully recover.
Players were given basic training programs to complete during isolation but have come back in good shape following a return to official training earlier this month.
On the downside, the Knights have lost professional Scottish footballer Matthew Henvey back to his homeland due to travel restrictions.
“He’s someone who we thought would have a really good year so we’ll miss him for the rest of the season,” Piddick said.
“The boys did great work when it came to their own fitness, and attendance at training since we’ve been back has been great.”
Football Queensland is yet to announce a resumption date but it is hoped the season will start in July and run in full, concluding in November.