Gold Coast United gloveman Glen Moss says he is not the least bit surprised by the sudden rise of fellow Kiwi and Brisbane sharpshooter Kosta Barbarouses.
Barbarouses has been a revelation since moving across the ditch from his hometown club Wellington Phoenix, headhunted by Brisbane supremo Ange Postecoglou as a perfect fit for his plans of Hyundai A-League domination.
Few expected the 20-year-old to deliver such potency in an orange shirt, which has guided him to the top of the Roar’s goalscoring charts and second in the league with nine goals his breakout year – but Moss, a former teammate at the Phoenix and the New Zealand national team and the man who will be tasked with limiting his influence on Boxing Day, was well aware.
“I can honestly say that’s no surprise to me,” he said. “I’ve known Kosta for a couple of years and it was only a matter of time before he broke the shackles and now he’s banging in goals for fun. I’m pleased to see the kid doing well but hopefully he doesn’t do that well Sunday.”
United will go into the Boxing Day derby with the slight disappointment of the abandoned fixture against Central Coast drowned out by the anticipation and excitement of a derby day that, according to Moss, the side has always kept one eye on throughout the season.
“Everyone was looking forward to (the Mariners game) so much and it sounded so good and a real offer to the fans to get things kick-started for us, but the pitch hasn’t been good for weeks so it didn’t really surprise any of the players when it flooded,” he said.
“But Boxing Day is another one that we’ve been looking forward to in the back of our minds for a little while. Playing against the Roar always has a little bit extra in it and I thought we were probably the better team earlier in the season when we played and we were unlucky not to win.
Brisbane hold a Hyundai A-League record undefeated streak of 17 matches – but none of those were against their cross-town rivals with that 0-0 stalemate at Skilled Park to open the season the last time the two sides met.
A lot has changed since then – for instance, Gold Coast still had Shane Smeltz and were considered the top side in Queensland – but Moss is confident United can find a way to ensure the Roar remain winless against Miron Bleiberg-s men.
“They’ve got a big streak going and they’re one of the best attacking sides in the league, but we’ve got the best defence in the league and hopefully we can be the ones to end that on Sunday.”
“I can’t pick any obvious chinks in their armour I don’t think anyone really has this season. It’ll be one of those games where it’s two good teams and we know we’re going to have to be up for it and really concentrate for the whole game because it could come down to one moment.”
