Gold Coast United winger Zander Guy keen to get one over former club Olympic in NPL season opener
Rising Gold Coast United winger Zander Guy admits Sunday’s NPL season opener against Olympic will carry extra significance for one important reason.
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RISING Gold Coast United winger Zander Guy admits Sunday’s NPL season opener against Olympic will carry extra significance as he looks to gain bragging rights over his former club.
The 21-year-old and teammate Tyler Wagstaffe both made their senior NPL debuts for Olympic in 2017, with Guy joining QPL club Logan Lightning in 2018 before a mid-season switch to United last year.
Now, as the Surfsiders prepare for their 6pm trip to Goodwin Park, Guy said he was desperate to show the NPL heavyweights what they were missing out on.
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“My first contract was with Olympic when I was 18 so when you verse any team you played at it carries a lot more weight. I moved on and a new coach came in so it is what it is,” Guy, who made 90 junior NPL appearances for Palm Beach and Gold Coast City, said.
“That was my first break in men’s (football) and I moved out of home and into Brisbane so both on and off the pitch I learned a lot. Most of the players I played with are still there.
“The spine of the (team) are still there and I do know quite a bit about other people there. Olympic are always top four with the money they have and players they have.”
Seventh under rookie coach Kristian Rees last year, United will face all four of last season’s semi-finalists – Olympic, Gold Coast Knights, Lions and Peninsula Power - in the first six rounds of 2020.
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But having recruited strongly over the off-season – headlined by the strike pair of A-League great Shane Smeltz and former NPL Queensland Golden Boot winner Sam Smith – Guy believes success awaits.
“I think we can definitely push and try and sneak into that top four. There’s lot to look forward to,” he said.
“In the first six weeks we have every team from the top four (last year), which is always a test but you want to verse the best. For the team, (the key this season is) conceding less goals and being more clinical up front.
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“We did pick up a couple of handy players with Shane Smeltz and Sam Smith. Shane is a world-class player, he’s an all-round professional.
“I’ve already learnt so much and hopefully this year I can learn even more.”
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