Gold Coast Knights coach Grae Piddick discusses what Matt Smith’s exit means for the club
Gold Coast Knights coach Grae Piddick has opened up about prized defender Matt Smith’s sudden exit from the club and what it means for his NPL side moving forward.
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THE Gold Coast Knights will not be rushed into signing a replacement for defender Matt Smith, with coach Grae Piddick adamant “there’s no panic” despite losing his title-winning centre-back pairing.
Having already bid farewell to Oskar Dillon in January following his move to A-League newcomers Western United, the Knights’ defensive stocks took another hit on Sunday when Smith and the club agreed to part ways on personal grounds.
He has since joined NPL rivals Brisbane City, where he will play and also be employed as the club’s football director and under-18 coach.
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The 37-year-old, a two-time A-League championship winner with Brisbane Roar, joined the Knights midway through last season and went on to make nine appearances, including September’s NPL grand final triumph.
He was due to line up in last weekend’s season opener against Brisbane Strikers before it was washed out, and would have missed this Saturday’s battle with Gold Coast United because of his participation in a coaching course in Sydney.
But while Piddick is now without the influential defenders who steered the Knights to silverware last season, he is confident there is enough talent within the current playing group to fill the void.
“We’ve got plenty of other good players. Things move on pretty quick and we’ve got a game to win on the weekend so we’ll just focus on that,” Piddick said.
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“I already had a plan in place for (his absence this weekend) and it gives us a bit of time to reassess from there. Obviously if there’s someone available who makes us better we’ll look at that, if not we’ve still got a very good squad and very good players in those positions.
“There’s no panic in that regard. Since (Smith’s exit) has been announced my phone’s been running hot, there’s plenty of people that want to play for the Knights.
“It’s having a look at ‘are they going to make the squad better, are they going to fit in to what we want to achieve, or have we already got the squad and the capability to do that?’. If we’re going to bring someone in they’re going to have to be very, very good otherwise we’ll roll with what we’ve got.
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“It might just mean one of the younger ones steps up (into the squad). It’s a big game (this weekend) and a good opportunity for the others to step up and show their mettle.”
New recruits Guilherme Desouza and Emlyn Welsmore, as well as 2019 mainstays Jaiden Walker and Matthew Schmidt, are the specialist defenders in the Knights squad, while Danny Morton and Rhys Lambert also have the versatility to play at the back.
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