Brisbane Roar told to focus on Mariners regardless of low crowd

Roar coach Robbie Fowler is urging his team to maintain their standards regardless of the atmosphere inside the stadium.

Brisbane Roar coach Robbie Fowler, centre, watches his players training earlier this week. Picture: AAP

Coronavirus fears may lead to one of the smallest A-League crowds ever at Suncorp Stadium but Brisbane Roar coach Robbie Fowler is urging his team to maintain their standards regardless of the atmosphere inside the stadium.

Unlike many soccer leagues and competitions across the world, the A-League is yet to impose any bans on spectators at venues due to the virus outbreak, but it’s understood sales for Friday’s clash between the Roar and Central Coast are extremely low.

The lowest A-League attendance at the Brisbane venue was a crowd of 5150 when the Mariners lost 2-0 to the Roar in October 2010.

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With his team hoping to boost their top-four hopes with a victory, Fowler is eager to ensure his team just focuses on the task on the field.

“We’ve got to go out there and we’ve got to do what we need to do,” the ex-Liverpool star said.

“Regardless of whatever crowd is there, we’ve got to go out there and try and make the game a good spectacle.”

Brisbane put in arguably their best performance so far under Fowler last Friday with a 3-1 win over Western Sydney – a result that puts them just one point behind fourth-placed Perth Glory.

The Mariners meanwhile have slumped to eight straight defeats, the second longest losing streak in the club’s history, and appear destined for a third consecutive wooden spoon.

The Central Coast side haven’t managed to beat the Roar since April 2014 – a run stretching across 17 matches.

Despite his team’s strong favouritism, Fowler is wary of taking the Mariners too lightly.

“We’ve watched a few performances of Central Coast and I don’t think they’ve been as bad as what the scoreline suggests,” Fowler said.

“They’ve had a few good performances and probably in moments of games, lapses in concentration, they’ve faltered that way.

“We’ve got to have the right attitude, the right desire and just do what we’ve been doing. We can’t afford to take things too easy because times when you do that, you can become unstuck in football.”

AAP