Inman can be ‘as good as anyone’ says Roar boss Fowler

Brisbane Roar coach Robbie Fowler believes Brad Inman can ‘be as good as anyone’ after the Aussie attacker scored in back-to-back Hyundai A-League matches.

The 28-year-old has endured a quiet start to life down under after spending seven years in the English lower leagues, which followed five years in Premier League outfit Newcastle United’s junior sides.

Inman had lost his place in Fowler’s starting line-up prior to the Round 12 clash against Newcastle Jets but came on as a substitute to net his first Hyundai A-League goal to grab the Queenslanders a 1-1 draw.

The stunning strike at Suncorp Stadium earned the Adelaide-born attacker a starting berth in Round 13 against Western Sydney Wanders on Wednesday and Inman repaid his coach’s faith by grabbing the winner in a 2-1 victory at Bankwest Stadium.

After running out more than 200 times in England’s third tier, Fowler insists all need Inman needs to do is believe in himself to take his game to the next level.

“I thought Brad Inman was really, really good [against Wanderers],” Fowler said in his post-match press conference.

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“He was excellent. The goals he scores can be outstanding at times.

“Again, we need Brad to be consistent and believe in himself the way we believe in him.

“On his day, he can be as good as anyone.”

Seven of Brisbane’s 11 Hyundai A-League matches in 2019/20 have been on the road, where Fowler’s side have collected eight of their 12 points.

Of all of their efforts in Fowler’s fledgling tenure in the Roar dugout, the head coach is convinced the gritty win against Western Sydney was right up there.

Those away win feels 👊 #RoarAsOne pic.twitter.com/dbTBs4uVT2

— Brisbane Roar FC (@brisbaneroar) January 1, 2020

“I think that’s one of the best results we’ve had,” Fowler said.

“It’s been a while since Brisbane Roar won away from home so, to do it in a place like this was fantastic for us.

“I think at times, maybe we were a little bit under the cosh, but we dug down and dug deep.

“[We] defended really well and had some outstanding performances, like Peps [Jacob Pepper] in the midfield, Jack Hingert coming back and young Mirza [Muratovic] up front.

“I think we were very good and the character and attitude was spot on, and what we’ve been wanting all year.

“Now we’ve got to give ourselves the challenge of going out and doing that on a more consistent basis.”

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Wanderers coach Markus Babbel was left frustrated after Roar took advantage of Western Sydney being temporarily reduced to 10 men while Patrick Ziegler received treatment on the sidelines.

The German defender caught an elbow from Roy O’Donovan, which resulted in a booking for the Brisbane striker, and the match continued with Fowler’s side having an extra player.

“I don’t understand this rule,” Babbel said.

“You get hurt, their player gets a yellow card, our player has to get off the field.

“Then we concede the second one.

“The boys tried everything, had a couple of good chances but we couldn’t score. Very frustrating.”