Aaron Amadi-Holloway a big part of Brisbane’s bid for finals berth

Powerful Roar striker Aaron Amadi-Holloway has a big part to play in Brisbane’s push for an A-League finals berth despite starting only a handful of times this season.

Brisbane Roar forward Aaron Amadi-Holloway holds off Perth Glory defender Tomislav Mrcela at Dolphin Stadium. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

Roar powerhouse Aaron Amadi-Holloway remains a huge part of Brisbane’s push for an A-League finals berth despite starting in only five matches this season.

The imposing Welshman made his presence felt at Dolphin Stadium last Saturday after coming on at the start of the second half in the Roar’s 1-1 draw with Perth Glory.

Amadi-Holloway’s strength troubled the Perth defence as Brisbane grabbed a deserved point thanks to a late Macaulay Gillesphey header.

The entry of Amadi-Holloway also aided fellow attacker Scott McDonald, who worked well playing off the 27-year-old strongman.

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Brisbane Roar forward Aaron Amadi-Holloway holds off Perth Glory defender Tomislav Mrcela at Dolphin Stadium. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)

While doubts remain that Amadi-Holloway has the fitness to last 90 minutes, the difficulty he can cause in the opposition’s penalty area when thrust into a contest makes him a key asset for the sixth-placed Roar, who travel to AAMI Park on Sunday to meet Melbourne City.

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“This game (against Perth) was a case of let’s throw in the big man, (but) not lump it forward because we’re not a long-ball merchant team,” Roar coach Robbie Fowler said.

“We still play the right way, we still believe in ourselves and the way we try to play football, but when it goes up at Aaron, when he’s on top of his game, he’s a handful.

“I think he showed in the second half (at Dolphin Stadium) how much of a handful he can be.

“We always have an idea of what we want to do, and it’s not just, we’ll throw him on for the sake of it. There’s always a plan.”

Brisbane Roar coach Robbie Fowler knows the best way to use Aaron Amadi-Holloway. (AAP Image/Dan Peled) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Defender Gillesphey knows from the training paddock how tough Amadi-Holloway can be to nullify.

“He made a big impact when he came on – I thought he was brilliant,” Gillesphey said.

“As a defender, he’s hard to deal with. He’s a big strong boy. He’s a good player.”

Amadi-Holloway’s only A-League goal came against City in the Roar’s 4-3 win over the Victorian club at Dolphin Stadium on November 17.

The teams also met at Suncorp Stadium on January 11 when Brad Inman scored twice in a 2-2 draw.

Gillesphey said: “Every game’s different. We’ve got to prepare differently for every game. There are no easy games in the A-League, so we’ve just got to keep doing what we’re doing and hopefully get a good result against City.”