Central Coast captain Alex Wilkinson is confident he and his fellow defenders can prevent North Queensland striker Robbie Fowler from adding to his goal tally on Sunday when the two sides meet at Bluetongue Stadium.
And with good reason.
The Mariners defence has proved to be the meanest so far this campaign in conceding just five goals in nine matches.
While Wilkinson admitted he is looking forward to the clash with the man Liverpool fans call ‘God’, he is backing his team to keep Fowler at bay.
“As a defender you want to test yourself against the best in the game, and he’s been there and done that for a number of years now,” Wilkinson said of Fowler who has four goals to his name this season.
“It’s great that the A-League has got him out here, and I just hope the Central Coast public come along, because it’s not very often you see a player of his calibre playing here at Bluetongue (Stadium).”
Central Coast is currently fifth on the A-League ladder, while North Queensland remains in last place with a solitary win.
However, last match the Fury recorded a battling 1-1 draw with Perth Glory after being reduced to 10 men.
Wilkinson is aware of the threat the Fury pose, particularly with two familiar faces in the North Queensland camp – head coach Ian Ferguson and assistant Stewart Petrie.
“It will be good to see those two, and North Queensland have been trucking along alright lately,” Wilkinson said.
“Last week they were pretty unlucky to get a man sent off, and to get a 1-1 draw in Perth with a man down for a full half is a pretty good result.”
“If we can play as well as we did against the Gold Coast in our last home game, I’m sure we’ll be doing alright.”
