North Queensland Fury FC striker Daniel McBreen wants his partnership with English superstar Robbie Fowler to become one of the most potent in the Hyundai A-league.
The thirty-two year old English-born striker returned to Australia this season after a seven-year stint playing overseas, most recently for York City.
“It-s been very positive for me…the last couple of years I-ve been looking to get back to Australia and since I-ve got here I-ve been really enjoying it,” McBreen said.
After arriving late to the Fury pre-season ahead of the club-s inaugural Hyundai A-League campaign, a slow start followed for the imposing forward.
“I started on the bench for the first two games,” McBreen admitted.
“But I got my chance in the last two games, so I-m just hoping to be in the first eleven every week from now on in,” he said.
“To just get better, score more goals, create goals and do well for the team.”
Coach Ian Ferguson hand-picked McBreen in the hope his bustling style to be a perfect match for Fowler-s finesse.
“I think I-ve got more finesse than him and he-s the big ugly one,” laughed McBreen.
“No, it-s a classic little and large combination … hopefully the partnership will just get better and better and we-ll be lethal during the season.”
“You wouldn-t know that he (Fowler) has played everywhere that he has because he-s got no attitude. But obviously you can tell, with his skills and abilities, that he-s been at a higher level and he-s still got that in his locker,” McBreen said of the twenty-six time English representative.
“He might give you a great ball in, or a finish that some other players at this level might not be able to. It-s just really good to be working with him,” he said.
Four games into the season, McBreen scored his first goal in North Queensland colours during the Fury-s 3-3 draw with Adelaide United.
Still, Ferguson said the 186cm striker, currently sporting stitches under his right eye, has lived up to early expectations.
“I knew he was a big physical type,” Ferguson said.
“I knew he would put his head in there where it hurts and I needed that …he-s done a fantastic job in the last two games.”
Nonetheless, with the North Queensland attack finally beginning to click, McBreen is under no illusions that his starting position is assured.
“Well it always helps if you-re scoring, as a striker,” he joked.
“If I keep scoring goals it makes it hard for the gaffer to put me out of the team.”
“But you don-t want to get too relaxed and start thinking, well I-m playing no matter what, because that-s when your standards slip,” he said.
“If there-s competition, everybody-s looking over their shoulder and pushing each other to perform better so it-s only a good thing.”
North Queensland is sitting on the bottom of the competition ladder, still chasing its maiden Hyundai A-League victory after suffering three losses and a draw so far.
It hosts the Brisbane Roar at Dairy Farmers Stadium in round five.
“If you take out the Gold Coast game, we sort of look at the other three and think we could have taken more from those games … We-re getting better every week, the team seems to be gelling better and we-re starting to know one and other,” McBreen insisted.
“I think it-s only a matter of time that more points will come and we-ll start moving up.”
