The first round of repeat fixtures gave Queensland an excellent opportunity to build on a few excellent performances and take three points against the weakest A League side.

The Roar handed Osvaldo Carro a debut in the place of Warren Moon, Josh McCloughan returned to the side after recovering from a virus in place of Tyler Simpson and Baird returned to the front line after Jonti Richter was struck down with Chicken Pox and didn’t travel with the team. Scott Higgins was also preferred in goal to Tom Willis for his second start of the season.

Unlike several games at the North Harbour stadium, the weather was perfect – a bonus for the Roar and their quick passing game which would’ve struggled in the monsoon conditions suffered by Adelaide United two weeks ago.

The Roar got off to a fast and furious start and Baird should have put them ahead after 45 seconds when the ball broke free to him after good work by Brosque. Had he stuck it on target then it would have been a goal.

The Knights also had a chance when Fitzsimmons volleyed over before the Roar took a deserved lead on 7 minutes when Hyuk-Su Seo struck a beautiful, dipping volley over Danny Milosevic after the ball had been laid back to him by debutant Carro.

Barely two minutes later Baird had a long shot blocked and Dilevski volleyed over from a good position.

From this good start, however, the Knights started to work their way back into the game. Karl Dodd was pressured into playing a weak back pass after 12 minutes which was well read by Simon Yeo. Thankfully he pulled his shot wide. Less than a minute later Dodd had a clearance charged down but again the Knights failed to capitalize as Fitzsimmons shot tamely at Higgins.

The Knights continued to press and Yeo again pulled a shot across the face of goal after being played in by a sublime ball from Josh Rose.

The next ten minutes saw plenty of Knights pressure but few chances. Queensland were letting themselves down with poor passing and some woeful first touches.

However, the game swung back in favour of the Roar with several good chances falling to Brosque, one in particular when he was played in by Baird and shot straight at the keeper when it looked easier to score.

Queensland continued to create chances on the counter attack, and one sweeping 90m move was almost finished by Chad Gibson, who had made an impressive run out of defence and was played in by Dilevski. Unfortunately the shot was into the side netting. There was also a better option for Dilevski as Baird was free in the centre of the area.

Whilst the second half was played at a similar pace early on, few chances were created. The best chances fell to Yeo for New Zealand, who volleyed over before, on 57 minutes a long range shot by Carro wasn’t held by the keeper and Baird was on hand to tuck away the second goal of the game to give Queensland a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Bleiberg rang the changes on the hour mark, bringing on Brownlie for Baird, and then five minutes later Carro made way for Moon.

The fresh legs certainly helped as Brownlie fashioned two chances, both of which were well saved by the keeper. The first chance was from a delightful ball in by Brosque and a clever little dummy by Murdocca.

From this point on the game petered out, with both teams looking tired. The Roar looked to sit back and defend their lead, and NZ didn’t look like creating any chances.

Miron Bleiberg will be happy with the three points but the truth is that the Roar should have won this by much more than the two goal margin. The decision making in attack was particularly poor with several chances being spurned as a result of the wrong option or delaying the final ball too long. Still a win is a win.

Match Ratings

Atmosphere:   7            Good for such a small crowd.

Crowd:             2          The weather was good but still the crowds stayed away.

Result:              7          Three points was an absolute must from this game.

Referee:            6          Let play flow well although bought a few dives from both sides.

Team Ratings

Higgins             6          Wasn’t tested much but dealt with most corners and crosses well.

McCloughan     6          Fairly quiet game

Gibson             7          Accomplished on the ball as usual. Made several important tackles and intercepts. Also made an impressive 90m run during a counter attack.

Buess               7          NZ didn’t produce much from their right flank and Buess was hardly troubled.

Dodd               5          Looked shaky a few times on his return from a virus but settled better in the second half.

Dilveski            6          Worked hard but made a few poor decisions in attack and seriously needs to work on his shooting

Murdocca        6          Was very quiet and lacked his normal zip. Improved in the second half.

Carro               6          Encouraging debut and set up both goals. Drifted in and out of the game though

Hyuk-Su Seo   7          Popped up everywhere as usual and took his goal well.

Baird               8          Led the line well and is developing into more of an out and out striker which the Roar needs. Great predatory instincts for his goal. MAN OF THE MATCH

Brosque           7          Looked short of confidence in front of goal but his poise on the ball was excellent and he created a few chances

Substitutes

Brownlie           7          Actually looked capable at this level for the first time and hopefully we will see more of this as he recovers fully from his virus

Moon               6          Didn’t contribute much to the game although he worked hard

Gava                -           Only on 5 minutes

Match Preview

Vs Central Coast Mariners

What a difference a week makes. Going into last weekends fixtures the Mariners were second and the Roar were 7^th. The Mariners, after holding Adelaide to a 1-1 draw in Adelaide were considered chances for the title, whereas the Roar’s capitulation at home to Sydney led to some fans talking about the manager’s position.

Fast forward a week and the Roar sit in 4^th place following their excellent away win over Newcastle and the Mariners are a place behind them in 5^th after losing at home to Melbourne.

All of which shows how tight the A-League is with just under a third of the season gone. With Adelaide 4 points clear at the top and the Knights a similar scale adrift at the bottom; the remaining six teams are separated by only three points, making Friday night’s fixture with the Mariners vital for the Roar.

The Mariners have an excellent record away from home, recording both of their wins for the season away, at Perth and Sydney, so the Roar will need to be on their game to prevent them taking a third. The Mariners have the second best away record behind leaders Adelaide, who have a 100% record on the road. In contrast, Lang Park has hardly been a fortress for the Roar who have a 1-1-1 record for their three games so far.

In goal for the Mariners is likely to be John Crawley ahead of Danny Vukovic, who made his first appearance of the season against Melbourne. Crawley has been playing in the NSW Premier League with distinction and had a spell with Colo Colo in Chile early in his career. Vukovic was with the Parramatta Power in the NSL although had limited first team experience there.

Andrew Clark is likely to anchor the defence, possibly with Micheal Beauchamp. Clark also had a spell with Parramatta Power and also with Canberra Cosmos. Beauchamp was one of the key defenders in the Power’s grand final winning team of 03/04.

Dean Heffernan will be at left back. Heffernan also has plenty of NSL experience with Sydney Utd and Woollongong Wolves. He started his career as a striker so will be looking to get forward. He scored in the 2-1 loss against Melbourne but missed a sitter in the second half.

At right back is Alex Wilkinson. Wilkinson has been a fixture in Australia’s youth teams and is widely tipped for full honours as his career progresses. He played for Australia in the U17 World Cup in 2000. Impressed greatly while at the Northern Spirit from 2001-04 and had a brief spell in Japan with Kyoto Purple Sanga.

In central midfield is captain Noel Spencer. Spencer made history by grabbing the very first A league goal in the Coast’s 1-0 win over Perth Glory on the opening weekend. Spencer has had a long career in the NSL with spells at Woollongong Wolves and Northern Spirit. Spencer is versatile enough to play in defence and midfield. Spencer has dropped back into defence in the last few rounds.

Andre Gumprecht is one of the most experienced players in the A League with spells at German giants Bayer Leverkusen, Lecce in Italy as well as several smaller German clubs. He came to Australia in 2002 to join Perth Glory and was also part of the Power’s championship side.

The Mariners have two strong attacking midfielders at their disposal in Tom Pondeljak and Leo Carle. Carle, brother of Jet Nick Carle is certainly one to watch for the future and Pondeljak brings a wealth of experience to the team. The Mariners are likely to start with Pondeljak after he was impressive in the loss to Melbourne and was unlucky not to score.

In attack, Stewart Petrie will lead the line. Petrie has had a long career making over 300 appearances in the Scottish leagues with Dunfermiline and Forfar, including several seasons in the top flight. He has played in the NSL with the Northern Spirit.

Queensland will be without the suspended McKay and injured Moon, out for two weeks with an achilles problem, but new Uruguayan signing Osvaldo Carro may start alongside Murdocca in midfield with Richter also pressing to return to the starting line up.

Season To Date

Rd 1 (A) vs Perth Glory                       W 1-0 Att: 11,113

Rd 2 (H) vs Newcastle Jets                  D 1-1   Att:  5,917

Rd 3 (H) vs NZ Knights                       L 0-2   Att:  5,231

Rd 4 (A) vs Sydney FC                        W 3-2  Att: 15,614

Rd 5 (A) vs Adelaide Utd                     D 1-1   Att:  7,013

Rd 6 (H) vs Melbourne             L 1-2   Att:  9,313

Leading Scorer: Spencer, Petrie (2)

TUQRS prediction: 1-1 draw