FORMER Everton and Manchester City striker Michael Branch will trial with the Queensland Roar this week hoping his Australian sea change can produce a wave of goals.
The 30-year-old will train with the Roar on Tuesday and Thursday in a bid to bolster Queensland's potency in front of goal for the second half of the A-League season and finish his 12-year professional career on a high.
Liverpool-born Branch made his English Premier League debut for the Toffees in February 1996 against Manchester United.
He was a regular in the first team throughout the 1996-97 EPL season but fell out of favour at Goodison Park and was loaned to Manchester City, Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers over the next five years.
The father-of-three played for a number of lower-division clubs in England until last year and recently moved his family to the Gold Coast.
Branch opted to move Down Under instead of Spain after discussions with Roar skipper Craig Moore and former Wolves teammate and current Melbourne captain Kevin Muscat.
He would be happy to introduce himself to the wider Australian football community by breaking Queensland's scoring drought at Suncorp Stadium, where the Roar have failed to find the net in their past three games.
"I'm a forward or right wing so hopefully I can help the side score a few goals," Branch said.
"At the moment the Roar are doing well away and hopefully I can help at home.
"I know a couple of the Roar players down here like Craig Moore and Charlie Miller, and Kevin (Muscat) has told me all about the A-League so I decided to give it a crack.
"Myself and the family thought about having a change and heading to Spain but we love it here on the Gold Coast and we'd love to stick around for a bit longer so it would be great if I can get a game or two with the Roar.
"I've only got a couple of years of playing left in me before I get into the coaching side of things so I thought I may as well try to get a game down here while I still can and maybe score a few goals while I'm at it."
The fifth-placed Roar have scored 13 goals in 11 games, the third-lowest return in the league.
Striker Serginho Van Dijk is under pressure to score his first goal in general play and Farina is considering playing a three-pronged attack.
The 30-year-old will train with the Roar on Tuesday and Thursday in a bid to bolster Queensland's potency in front of goal for the second half of the A-League season and finish his 12-year professional career on a high.
Liverpool-born Branch made his English Premier League debut for the Toffees in February 1996 against Manchester United.
He was a regular in the first team throughout the 1996-97 EPL season but fell out of favour at Goodison Park and was loaned to Manchester City, Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers over the next five years.
The father-of-three played for a number of lower-division clubs in England until last year and recently moved his family to the Gold Coast.
Branch opted to move Down Under instead of Spain after discussions with Roar skipper Craig Moore and former Wolves teammate and current Melbourne captain Kevin Muscat.
He would be happy to introduce himself to the wider Australian football community by breaking Queensland's scoring drought at Suncorp Stadium, where the Roar have failed to find the net in their past three games.
"I'm a forward or right wing so hopefully I can help the side score a few goals," Branch said.
"At the moment the Roar are doing well away and hopefully I can help at home.
"I know a couple of the Roar players down here like Craig Moore and Charlie Miller, and Kevin (Muscat) has told me all about the A-League so I decided to give it a crack.
"Myself and the family thought about having a change and heading to Spain but we love it here on the Gold Coast and we'd love to stick around for a bit longer so it would be great if I can get a game or two with the Roar.
"I've only got a couple of years of playing left in me before I get into the coaching side of things so I thought I may as well try to get a game down here while I still can and maybe score a few goals while I'm at it."
The fifth-placed Roar have scored 13 goals in 11 games, the third-lowest return in the league.
Striker Serginho Van Dijk is under pressure to score his first goal in general play and Farina is considering playing a three-pronged attack.