Robbie Fowler has backed Roy O’Donovan to find his shooting boots and start firing Brisbane Roar up the Hyundai A-League table.
The 34-year-old Irish marksmen racked up 39 goals in the competition during four seasons playing between Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets.
O’Donovan was recruited to lead the line in Queensland following the departure of 11-goal Adam Taggart midway through the 2018/19 season.
He struck in the dying seconds of the 1-1 draw against Perth Glory in Round 1 but O’Donovan, or Roar, have not scored in two matches since.
“Like any striker, you probably need one to come off your backside, off your knee, off anything,” Fowler said, after the 0-0 draw with Western Sydney Wanderers.
“I’ve said to him in the dressing room, I thought he was very very good, he put in a great shift.
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“He held the ball up well, he’s getting into goalscoring positions.
“I’m a striker myself. I started worrying when I wasn’t getting into those positions.
“Roy’s a goalscorer and he’s proven over time in the A-League that he can score goals.
“He will score goals, there’s no doubt about that.
“It hasn’t been his day but, other than goals, I thought he was very, very good.”
Brisbane Roar striker Roy O’Donovan’s shot map against Western Sydney Wanderers
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Wanderers chief Markus Babbel is crossing his fingers and toes that midfield general Pirmin Schwegler will recover quickly from the injury which forced him off at Bankwest Stadium.
Swiss dynamo Schwegler departed the game with a calf injury after 18 minutes leaving a youthful trio of midfielders to lock down the centre of the field.
“[Schwegler] got a knock and the calf closed down,” said Babbel.
“I hope it is not too bad because he is a very important player for us, especially for our midfield.
“We had Kosta [Grozos], Keanu [Baccus] and then Tass [Mordoukoutos] came on. Three 19, 20, 21-year-old guys. It is not easy for the boys or for us as a team.”
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