Fury captain Ufuk Talay is the missing link, according to North Queensland coach Franz Straka.
The Czech considers the midfielder’s absence against Sydney FC and Central Coast through suspension as the difference between picking up a solitary point compared to the full complement of six.
Having the 34-year-old return for Friday’s meeting with Perth at Dairy Farmer Stadium comes as a timely boost for the 10th-placed side.
“Ufie is the captain, our leader,” Straka said.
“We need his leadership, his quality. We need guys with experience and Ufie is a player with big experience and me missed him a lot in both games.”
Talay has had a stuttered start to the campaign through injury and most recently though a two match ban for an off the ball incident against Wellington.
At a time when the Fury has recorded more near misses then positive results, Straka will be relying on his skipper more than ever.
“It is real important for us to close the gap on sides in front of us,” Straka said.
“A win in this match will make things much better for us, we have come to a period where we are at home more and need to get points.
“Definitely, there is pressure on us. We are all disappointed for coming so close in our last couple of games.”
The return of Talay, however, is offset by the suspension of lanky striker Dyron Daal, having been shown a red card in the match against the Mariners.
Uncertainty surrounds the availability of left back Andre Kilian with the German liming off the training pitch mid-week having copped a knock to his ankle.
The 23-year-old will be given until the eleventh hour to prove his fitness ahead of the match, but with a foot injury already limiting his game time to two matches this season he will be heavily scrutinised by club medics.
“There is only one question about Andre, but everyone else is fit to play,” Straka said.
