'No excuses' if Fury fail to beat Heart

They may still be feeling the fallout over their ill-fated Newcastle trip but North
Queensland have adopted a "no excuses" approach as they look to turn their A-League
season around.
Fury assistant coach Stuart McLaren said they won't be hitting the panic button if
they slump to their third straight loss on Wednesday night against Melbourne Heart
in Townsville.
He said the Fury would have a better idea of their finals chances after their
seven-game December program - almost twice as many matches they play this month.
But McLaren still wondered aloud how much better the second-last Fury could be
placed if not for the "Newcastle debacle".
McLaren said their momentum and preparation was turned on its head when their
October 27 clash in Newcastle was postponed after the pitch was damaged by a
motocross event.
They arrived at Newcastle still buzzing from a 2-1 win over Perth Glory but have
lost two straight since being sent back from the Hunter region.
"There's never any excuses. We like to look at reasons at why things can be
different," McLaren said.
"There is no doubt that whole Newcastle debacle upset our rhythm.
"We were a very good chance of going down there and getting a result, and that would
have helped the confidence and our planning for training and everything for the
(next) Gold Coast game.
"No excuses but we could have been better prepared for the Gold Coast match.
"It's difficult because we had that hiccup, which was none of our doing."
McLaren said they were also sweating on when the Newcastle clash would be slotted in
with a busy schedule ahead for the Fury.
"At some point the FFA have to find a date, and I know they are really struggling
with that," he said.
"Because we have to be fair to all parties and we don't want to be punished twice."
McLaren also still seemed riled after they were denied at least a draw last round
against Central Coast when David Williams was not given a penalty despite appearing
to have been brought down by Mariners goalkeeper Matthew Ryan.
He said there had been "dialogue" with the FFA rather than a "please explain" over
the refereeing in the Mariners clash.
"You've got to say there were plenty of incidents in the second half and one in
particular where we deserved a goal," he said.
"It is one of those things that once a decision has been made ... you've just got to
let it slide, hopefully next time it goes in our favour."
The Fury have lost six of their last nine matches and claimed their last win - and
second overall - on October 15 against the Glory.
And they face a Heart outfit that have moved into the top six with an unbeaten five
match run.