Ryan McGowan believes having Robbie Fowler here coaching in Australia can only be a good thing for the Hyundai A-League.
But the Sydney FC defender plans on making Fowler’s first taste of competitive football as Brisbane Roar boss one to forget.
McGowan’s Sky Blues take on Fowler’s Roar in a blockbuster FFA Cup 2019 Round of 32 clash at Leichhardt Oval on Wednesday night.
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All eyes will be on Fowler and his new-look squad, with the man known as ‘God’ looking to resurrect Roar’s fortunes in 2019/20.
While he’ll be looking to spoil Fowler’s first game, McGowan admits the former Liverpool striker’s presence in Australia is only a positive for the local game.
"It's exciting for the league to have a man of his calibre come here and manage but we'll be wanting to make sure his first game's not enjoyable and we get the right result," the 29-year-old told Sydney FC’s official website on Monday.
"It's good for the league to have players and coaches of his stature coming to Australia and hopefully helping out the young boys."
Like Fowler, McGowan will also be experiencing his first taste of competitive club football in Australia on Wednesday night.
But the 20-cap Caltex Socceroo knows all about having success in Cup football during his decade playing abroad.
McGowan won and scored in Hearts’ Scottish Cup Final win in 2012, while he repeated that feat in the Chinese FA Cup in 2014 during his time with Shandong Luneng.
While they are wonderful memories for the well-travelled defender, McGowan is only focused on the present with his new club.
The Sky Blues head into the clash on the back of their friendly defeat to French champions Paris Saint-Germain in China last week.
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A number of Steve Corica’s squad were affected by illness but McGowan says most of the players that went down ill will be fine to face the Roar.
"It was a shame for a lot of the boys that did pick up the bug and the illness so they had to miss out but it's a good opportunity for the younger boys to step in and get that experience against high-class opposition," he said.
"A lot of us got 90 minutes in the legs which is good and hopefully stands us in good stead for Wednesday."
