Kings win locks in league spot

Heads above: Tweed Valley Kings’ Kurt Buchanan rises high for the header at Kingscliff.

TWEED Valley Kings were a head above the competition in their crunch game against United Eagles at Reg Dalton Oval on Wednesday evening.

The 7-0 victory cemented their spot in the Gold Coast Premier League 2011 season and this relegation play-off was their last opportunity.

Kings captain Luke Craig said there was a huge difference between playing in the premier league and first division.

“There is quite a gap and our 7-0 victory was quite convincing ... as we have been playing in premier league since 2009 after original clubs, Kingscliff, Murwillumbah and Banora Point amalgamated,” Craig said.

It was the Kings’ final shot at grabbing some dignity back after a somewhat dismal season of four wins from 22 games.

Craig said there were a few players who had really stepped up in the final encounter and he was very proud to be a part of the team.

“Lleyton Pauly did a great job holding centre mid role. He was good all game and supplied everything to set up goals,” Craig said.

“Also Armadeep (Ghooti) was very good. He had a really solid game and he was a real standout.”

The Kings were fresh and physically strong for the majority of the match but they were under the pump in the first half.

“In the first 20 minutes they were intense because they had a lot to play for, and they threw everything at us,” Craig said.

“But we did control the game and Boaz (Hayes) got the first two goals of the first half.

“That broke their backs and opened the floodgates up.

“We really dominated, creating chance after chance, which was a luxury to play with that kind of enjoyment for the last game.

“The second half was a walkover ... myself and Matt Bruggy even drifted up to the front even though we are defenders.”

It was a massive game not just for the Kings but also the Eagles who had a host of fans lining the grounds’ edge, and a crowd of about 400 people cheered their teams on.

“They have really passionate supporters, with their flares they let off and they were beating their drums. It was something like a European game,” Craig said.

There was plenty more to expect from the Kings next season, club president Peter Gladwin said.

“I am very proud of how they conducted themselves throughout the year and they did our shire proud,” Gladwin said.

“Tweed Valley lads want to stay local and aspire to play football. Now they have a springboard to the premier league.”