God's Fury eye run with Bulls
LIVERPOOL legend Robbie "God" Fowler and his North Queensland Fury teammates are all but locked in for an exhibition match against Queensland State League side the FNQ Bulls at Mareeba.
The game, proposed for Saturday, June 27 at Borzi Park, is set to be the biggest soccer match staged in the Far North since the Queensland Roar played Sydney FC in an A-League Preseason Cup encounter at Cairns’ Barlow Park in 2005.
The coup comes as negotiations begin to secure a mid-year trial between the Perth Glory and Queensland Roar in Cairns.
Fury coach Ian Ferguson is heading to Mareeba next week to discuss playing pathways with the Bulls officials and hopes to confirm the final details involved in bringing his team to the region.
The former Scotland international said it was important for the Fury’s future the club had a tangible presence in the Far North.
"When I first came here (Townsville), I had a look at our catchment and we had four state league teams in our zone, so we’ll be looking at making a few road trips," he said.
"We want all the talented kids to stay up here in North Queensland.
"We don’t want them going to Brisbane, the Gold Coast or Sydney. We want them to know they can stay up here and still be part of the A-League."
Ferguson hopes to arrange between six and eight trial matches for the Fury before the start of the Pre-season Cup in July.
Fowler – the Fury’s and arguably A-League’s biggest signing – is expected to relocate from England to Townsville in time for the official start of the club’s pre-season training on May 1.
Ferguson said the former English Premier League striker had every chance of playing against the Bulls.
"A lot of it comes down to how he’s settled in and how he’s going with his training but if he’s fit and he’s available, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t be playing," he said.
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