Three, but still a crowd
HAT-TRICK hero one match, bench warmer the next?
That’s the sobering selection scenario facing Roar midfielder Steve Lustica despite his man-of-the-match performance in Brisbane’s 6-1 thrashing of Central Coast Mariners on Thursday night.
Making the most of a rare starting opportunity, Lustica scored three goals and set up another as the Roar ran riot at Suncorp Stadium.
However, the return of Socceroos midfielder and club skipper Matt McKay for Wednesday’s AFC Champions League clash against Suwon Bluewings in South Korea has put the squeeze on for spots in the centre of the park.
Having arrived back from national duty in Europe on Thursday morning, McKay was an unused substitute against the Mariners. The Roar started with a midfield consisting of Lustica, Luke Brattan and the fit-again Thomas Broich.
Former Hajduk Split man Lustica looms as the odd man out against Suwon, unless Roar coach Frans Thijssen shifts marquee man Broich back to the left wing, where he has spent most of his Brisbane career.
“It’s up to the coach to decide who he’s going to play – I will always fully respect his decision,” Lustica said.
“I want to play every game and I feel I’ve got a lot to offer. If I do play I feel I can offer the team something. We’ve got a lot of competition for places.
“My chances have been a bit limited but I’ve always been a firm believer that if you put in the hard work, it will eventually pay off, and every training (session) I’ve always turned up and been fully motivated and always put in the extra yards as well. (On Thursday) it paid off for me.”
It also paid off for the Roar, who snapped a four-game A-League losing streak.
Despite being five points outside the top six, the Roar are now a good chance to play finals football because of the salary-cap scandal that has hit fourth-placed Perth Glory.
The Glory are facing the prospect of being stripped of a stack of competition points that would result in them tumbling out of finals contention.
“What’s happening in Perth … we’re not too focused on that at all. That’s something the FFA’s going to deal with,” Lustica said. “We’ve just got to concentrate on our own performances and make sure we win our next (four) A-League games if we want to have a chance of making the finals.”