Gold Coast sharpshooter Shane Smeltz is confident of having an impact in the A-League finals despite his electric goal-scoring form drying up in the past month.
The New Zealand international heads into Saturday night’s sudden-death semi-final against Newcastle at Skilled Park on the back of a brilliant season, smashing the A-League scoring record with 19 goals in 25 matches.
But none of the former Wellington frontman’s goals have come in his past six matches, a fact that has coincided with some indifferent form from United in the run to the finals.
Smeltz, who finished second behind Carlos Hernandez in the voting for the Johnny Warren Medal, acknowledges he needs to start banging in the goals but insists the recent drought isn’t playing on his mind ahead of his maiden finals appearance.
“Look, I wouldn’t say I’ve been down on form, I think it’s just that I haven’t scored,” Smeltz said.
“I think my general play and form is fine, it’s just a matter of getting the ball in the net, which I’m planning on doing as soon as possible.
“The media have been talking about it but it’s probably because I’ve scored so regularly in the past.
“It’s just one of those things a player can go through, especially a striker.”
United coach Miron Bleiberg was equally unperturbed with Smeltz’s lack of goals in recent weeks, declaring him raring to go for the finals.
“If you follow Shane’s career you know it’s like shares in the stock market, up and down,” Bleiberg said.
“Like the weather, after the storm comes the calm.
“It’s happened to more famous strikers than him … Michael Owen and Alan Shearer, who was one of the great famous players who used to score in a bundle and then was quiet. It’s not a worry at all.”
Bleiberg insisted his side would have no excuses for bowing out in the first week of the finals and failing to live up to their pre-season hype, much of which they created themselves.
“You look at Sydney and Melbourne and even our opponents for Saturday, Newcastle – they’re all complaining about injuries and being the underdog or whatever – but you haven’t heard this from me,” he said.
“We are happy, we are good and in shape and we have a few long term injuries but otherwise we have a full squad and everybody is ready to go.”
The Jets have had no such luck with injuries this season and lost English striker Michael Bridges to a training injury earlier this week.
But coach Branko Culina has had some relief, welcoming back Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Jin-Hyung Song, Jobe Wheelhouse, Sean Rooney and Labinot Haliti to his squad for Saturday’s match.
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