It was the result North Queensland Fury coach Ian Ferguson was starting to think might never come.

After five winless appearances in their debut A-League season, marquee striker Robbie Fowler's cracking winner against Sydney FC on Saturday night made it sixth time lucky for Ferguson's team.

The 1-0 win hasn't lifted the Fury off the bottom of the ladder but after heartbreaking draws against Adelaide and Brisbane in previous rounds, the Scotsman couldn't have been happier to be off the mark.

"I thought for the last two weeks that it was never going to come," Ferguson said.

"Against Adelaide we were so close, we give away the penalty in the last couple of seconds and that snatches two points from us.

"And again Brisbane Roar score in the last five minutes with a deflection which could have hit the crossbar, hit the post or gone into the stands but unfortunately for us it goes into the net.

"It shows great character and determination for these guys to give us the performance again. A gutsy performance, fantastic."

The Fury's victory will also go a long way to silence the critics who claimed the newcomers would be the competition's whipping boys after a 5-0 thrashing by Gold Coast United in round two.

Not that Ferguson ever doubted the ability of his squad despite the knockers.

"I'm the sort of person that no matter who you play it's 11 v 11 and I'd expect and hope that we would try to go in and compete and win every game," he said.

"I knew we had a chance because we have been playing a lot of good football over the past three or four games. The boys have set standards and we're building on that."

And while Fowler is undoubtedly the star for Fury fans, it was former Sydney FC player Ufuk Talay who held North Queensland's midfield together as the Sky Blues tried to get back into the game.

The 33-year-old has been in fine form in the Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney matches, leading Ferguson to claim he is just as important as Liverpool great Fowler.

"Ufuk gave us everything that he had. I was absolutely delighted with him, he's been controlling the last two or three games for us," he said.

"Hopefully now he can build on that and get more training in. He's vital for us. He's got that experience and he's played overseas."

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