Gold Coast coach Miron Bleiberg was trying to be modest when he told club owner Clive Palmer his team would thrash North Queensland 4-0 in Saturday night’s A-League clash at Skilled Park.
Bleiberg would’ve been right if the match had stopped in the 63rd minute, by which time New Zealand international Shane Smeltz had bagged four goals.
But with Tahj Minniecon adding to the rout in the 79th minute, the high-flying Gold Coast triumphed 5-0 to post victory in their first home game and stay on top of the competition, while the listless Fury are yet to notch a win.
“I tried to be modest but I told Clive four (goals),” Bleiberg said after the match.
In a bizarre decision, it was Joel Porter who secured man-of-the-match honours, despite Smeltz cleaning up on the scoreboard.
While acknowledging the terrific effort of Smeltz, who grabbed three goals in a scorching nine-minute period in the second half in front of 7,526 vocal fans, Bleiberg was happier to talk about his side’s defence and cohesion.
Bleiberg made five changes to the starting side which defeated Brisbane Roar 3-1 last weekend and was missing star defender Adam Griffiths, who has been lost to Saudi champions Al Shabab.
“I’m proud more of the fact we kept a clean sheet,” said Bleiberg.
“I think that’s the strength of the team, we’re workman-like.
“We have 23 new players – no less and no more – and we gelled because we did the homework in the pre-season.”
Smeltz, the reigning Johnny Warren Medallist, has now scored five goals in just two matches this season.
“I haven’t scored a hat-trick in A-League so to score four is an amazing thing for me,” the 27-year-old said.
North Queensland, despite the recruitment of Socceroos defender Shane Stefanutto, were powerless to shut down a rampant United outfit.
“Gold Coast outplayed us in every department,” coach Ian Ferguson lamented.
“I think we actually contributed to three of their goals. I’m very, very disappointed.”
In the 29th minute Smeltz broke free of the defence and calmly slotted the ball past goal-keeper Paul Henderson after taking a long ball from Culina to start his golden run.
The former Wellington Phoenix star had a chance to extend Gold Coast’s 1-0 lead just before the break but his close range header from a pinpoint Michael Thwaite cross was well saved by Henderson.
But Smeltz would not be denied. He put his team ahead 2-0 with a 54th minute penalty goal after Beau Busch brought down Thwaite in the box.
In the 62nd minute Smeltz latched onto a neat Porter through-ball and fired at goal. The ball deflected off Busch and went past the despairing Henderson.
Just seconds later Smeltz had his quadruple. Steven Fitzsimmons sent the ball to Smeltz, who pivoted and fired low and hard into the right corner of the net.
To add salt into the Fury’s wounds, Jason Spagnuolo suffered a hamstring injury and will miss up to two weeks.
© AAP 2012Recommend this story.
August 16th 2009 @ 8:36am
Pippinu said | August 16th 2009 @ 8:36am | Report comment
Either GCU looked ominous, or the Fury looked completely out of their depth, or a bit of both.
Culina’s passing is clearly a stand out, but it would be a mistake to conclude that GCU have winners all over the park – they definitely have their flaws (as we would expect from a salary cap system).
August 16th 2009 @ 9:41am
Midfielder said | August 16th 2009 @ 9:41am | Report comment
Had the same feeling …
August 16th 2009 @ 9:03am
Tifosi said | August 16th 2009 @ 9:03am | Report comment
Pip a bit of both i think. But gold coast are the real deal. I wonder if hey could go thru the season undefeated, time will tell.
The Victory-roar game was a cracker though, and your boys came back to grab the draw, plus the bulldogs won as well, a much better weekend for you !!
August 16th 2009 @ 10:33am
Pippinu said | August 16th 2009 @ 10:33am | Report comment
Yeh – much better weekend!
I was happy with the point against the Roar, considering we were down by two goals twice during the game.
Five of the six goals were pretty high quality – but we have massive issues in defence – massive.
Another disappointing crowd for Melbourne – even lower than last week’s – there’s a real issue there for the MV management.
August 16th 2009 @ 9:28am
MVDave said | August 16th 2009 @ 9:28am | Report comment
The first goal with the through ball from Culina to Smeltz with the outside of the foot was fantastic…must say having been to the game last night MV vs BR the quality of most games has improved the standard overall. The Victory game contained 5 goals that each would have a legitimate right to be on the goal of the season list. Magnificent and if this continues then the doomsayers will be eating stuffed foot…served with a sweaty sock!
August 16th 2009 @ 9:42am
Midfielder said | August 16th 2009 @ 9:42am | Report comment
Agree that …through ball from Culina to Smeltz with the outside of the foot … great skill..
August 16th 2009 @ 10:34am
Pippinu said | August 16th 2009 @ 10:34am | Report comment
Agree on all counts – Culina’s ball was top shelf, and five of the six goals in last night’s game were something out of the box.
August 16th 2009 @ 11:03am
onside said | August 16th 2009 @ 11:03am | Report comment
And what about the ball , out of the backline to Culina ,by the new Nigerian or Ivory Coast player
Apologies for not recalling his name. Bit it will flow off the tongue quite readily by seasons end.
Regardless it was a magic pass to Culina prior to Culinas then pass to Smeltz.The Nigerian bloke
was responsible for setting the sequence up.
August 16th 2009 @ 10:38am
onside said | August 16th 2009 @ 10:38am | Report comment
Smelltz ,the best striker in the A League, aquired by Gold Coast United from Wellington at NO CHARGE.ZILCH.
Adam Griffith, aquired by Gold Coast United from Newcastle at NO CHARGE,ZILCH.
Adam Griffith, then sold to the Saudi Arabian team ,Al Shabab ,for about AUD 750K
If Adam Griffith is worth AUD 750K,what is Smeltz worth.
And neither Newcastle nor Wellington got a brass razoo.
August 16th 2009 @ 9:05pm
Gazgoldcoast said | August 16th 2009 @ 9:05pm | Report comment
The Ivory Coast boy’s name is Adama Traore and if you watch the videos you will notice how many goals started with one touch intercepts from him at the back. What’s he worth???
August 16th 2009 @ 10:50pm
midfield general said | August 16th 2009 @ 10:50pm | Report comment
Shame Smeltz plays for NZ – good enough for a spot on the current Socceroos I reckon. He’s very impressive in his general play with good touch and movement. Awful bogan haircut though
August 17th 2009 @ 2:54pm
drew777 said | August 17th 2009 @ 2:54pm | Report comment
Smeltz IS the best striker in the A-League. Hands down. He would sell for over a million AU easily.
Might even push towards $2 mil mark, dare I say it.
I was disappointed with Fowler’s performance…another flop like Aloisi in his Sydney debut season?
August 17th 2009 @ 3:07pm
Towser said | August 17th 2009 @ 3:07pm | Report comment
Doesnt anybody find a strange irony in the fact that a brand new club 2 games into the season,has already sold one player & is theres talk of another transfer in Smeltz. This is usually the domain of well estabilished clubs(transfers) not a club wet behind the ears.
August 17th 2009 @ 3:15pm
Pippinu said | August 17th 2009 @ 3:15pm | Report comment
Towser
now that you mention it…the number of transfers has started to go up the last 6 months or so (compared to the first full three seasons of the A-League) – so maybe GCU is riding that wave.
Palmer’s public pronouncements have given the impression that he is absolutely clueless – but he could have some good people hired and working for him in the background.
One thing he would know – money can be made (from transfers), if you have the right people behind you.
On one level – this makes a bit of sense – people don’t become billionaires by throwing away their money – this could be his way of telling us all: if you thought I was going to blow my money on a football club for the hell of it, you were wrong.
August 17th 2009 @ 3:33pm
Towser said | August 17th 2009 @ 3:33pm | Report comment
Pippinu
There was an article in last Sundays paper(the Sunday Mail) on QLD’s richest men. First its Clive Palmer at 6.23 billion then daylight to the next at just over 1 billion. In the article about him those who have worked closest to him indicate that he doesnt do anything without knowledge. THey talk about his core mining business but also a stud he has in Qld & of course GCU. Now that knowledge may not be the football knowledge that we have ie fom the passion angle etc but from a business angle. So he takes the info needed to create success as seen in his eyes. So if he sees 7000 crowds as ok presently & publically states so & realises that you can make a quid on the side by selling players,so what. I think as you may have indicated he’ll get another one. Not my way of seeing doing things,but he puts up the dough,runs the show.
Just hope as you said he doesnt run from the show. Maybe by making a quid from his business angle perspective might just stop him doing that. Who knows?