Reddy - Don’t miss this one

Liam Reddy says Friday night’s clash against reigning Premiers Adelaide United is one that the fans should make sure that they see live at Suncorp Stadium.

With Roar sitting in second place on the Hyundai A-League ladder and United in third, the upcoming game between the two rival clubs is set to be a tense affair with very little to choose between the two teams.

“This is going to be a great game for the fans and as we won’t be at home for a few weeks afterwards this is one that they simply shouldn’t miss. The players are fired up for it and we want to continue with our solid start. This is the type of game that has all the ingredients of a great spectacle,” said the Roar ‘keeper.

He added: “This will definitely be our toughest game so far this season. Adelaide proved that they were the most consistent team last year and that’s why they won the Premiership. They had a bit of a bad start to this season but they look like they’re hitting their straps now. They’ve scored eight goals in two games and only conceded the one, so it’s certainly going to be hard for us this week.”

Reddy has continued with the kind of form that convinced Miron Bleiberg to bring him to Queensland from the Newcastle Jets and the big custodian says he’s been happy with the way the team has defended so far, having kept three clean sheets in the opening four games.

“I’m very happy with the start to the season both personally and for the team. Obviously it’s not just me that has kept the clean sheets; it’s the defenders in front of me that are doing a great job. We score goals as a team and we keep clean sheets as a team – that’s how it works and it’s working well so far.

“If we can come off the pitch with no goals conceded then we know that we will get at least one point and I’m confident this year that our strikers will score goals, so defending well goes a long way towards winning games,” he said.

Coach Miron Bleiberg acknowledged that the match against John Kosmina’s side would give an indication of what his team is capable of as he sets his course for finals football.

“It’s games like we have this Friday against Adelaide United, who won the competition last season, that are the benchmark for where we stand at the moment. We think that about 30 points should get a team into the finals so at this stage we are on course for what we want to achieve in the first seven games. You never know what will happen in the second round of fixtures so we have to try and accumulate more points for a rainy day in case we need them.

“We are looking forward to the challenge of playing them (Adelaide) this Friday. I have a lot of respect for what they achieved last year and they will be strong opposition for us this week,” he said.

Roar’s impressive start to the season so far has raised eyebrows but Bleiberg has played down talk of winning trophies at this early stage of the campaign.

“After three wins and one draw it would be easy for people to talk about Championships and qualifying for the Asian Champions League, etc, but as a coach it puts you in an awkward situation. Bigger and better coaches than me have always preached that you should take one game at a time and don’t think too far ahead,” Bleiberg said

“At the club everyone has their feet on the ground, but in this day and age with the media coverage we receive and all the advice that seems to come your way, it’s something that people like to talk about.”

“It’s way too early to talk about our aspirations at this stage of the season and we have to keep everything in proportion. The only thing I would say about it is that we have made our intentions clear for the year and at the moment we are showing strength in our ambitions to finish in the top four of the league.”

On the injury front, Roar have received a boost with the news that Andrew Packer has recovered from the knee injury that forced his substitution in the 5-0 drubbing of the New Zealand Knights.

According to Queensland Roar Fitness Coordinator, Tony Ganter, Packer has been given the all clear for selection ahead of Friday night’s important test.

“Andrew sustained a slight injury to his knee during the game against New Zealand but there’s been no serious damage,” said Ganter.

“He’s recovered well after resting it for a few days and he’ll definitely be available to play this weekend.”

Packer too confirmed he would be available saying he was absolutely 100% fit.

“When we played New Zealand I basically just fell into the turf on my knee and put some weight through it,” he said.

“It’s actually turned out to be fine so everything is good and I won’t be out at all. I’m fine so I’ll definitely be available for selection this week – it bruised up at first but after a couple of days of taking it easy it’s 100%.”