Lakes rising to Premier challenge

Four games played, premiers beaten and third in the Premier League – no wonder The Lakes is happy ahead of tonight's clash with UQ to Kinsellas Park (7.10pm).

The club is making its debut in Brisbane’s top flight and already sits level on points at the top with Albany Creek Excelsior (ACE), which has been premiers twice and runners-up once in the last three seasons.

“Extremely happy with how things are going, actually,” said Terry Janman, the joint coach with Steve Harrison.

“There were a few nerves in the first two games. We have a young squad with five or six players under 24 (squad’s average age) and a few older hands to keep everyone grounded.

Good response

“We missed a few chances against Acacia Ridge (1-1) and at Bayside (5-0) we didn’t really turn up. We told the lads that was not up to expectations.”

The response was impressive, beating last season’s premiers St George Willawong 3-2 and then Toowong, one of the competition’s top sides, 5-1.

The Lakes bowed out of the FFA Cup in a seven-goal thriller against Holland Park Hawks, from the FQPL - which two tiers higher than the BPL.

However, Saturday's visitors UQ are ninth in the Premier League with one win from four games. The Lakes is third, two points behind leaders Bayside.

Four-some duo

Captain Josh Fearn and Daniel Fogerty, who has played at state level in NSW, are proving key figures with each having scored four premier league goals in four games.

“Getting Dan from NSW was huge for us,” said Janman, “but Cooper Olive our young goalkeeper has done well.

“Our two first-choice keepers are out, Cooper’s come in and he’s earned his place in the side.”

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