Cooke played just short of 70 minutes in Saturday night's 2-1 victory over Adelaide United, the experienced campaigner one of several changes made by Ferguson ahead of the clash.

 "Terry (Cooke) came in and he won the ball and had great composure. He holds the ball for us and great delivery for his set pieces," said Ferguson.

Cooke's footballing journey began at Old Trafford alongside the likes of David Beckham and Paul Scholes. He also played for Manchester City and arrived in Townsville after a stint in the MLS.

As an injury replacement for James Robinson, it is the player's experience which coach Ferguson believes is key.

"The most important thing for us is that he brings in a lot of experience for the midfield," he said.

"We've got three other boys in there, Rostyn Griffiths, David Williams and Osama Malik who are all young and I needed someone with an older head on his shoulders to help steady things.

"I think Terry can bring that for us."

Ferguson is a happy man after his players bounced back from their 5-1 drubbing by Central Coast to see off Adelaide this time out.

 "The boys were hungry, they were determined and they won all of the battles which was great," added Ferguson.

Fury return to action on Saturday when they return to the Sydney Football Stadium (scene for Robbie Fowler's wonder goal earlier in the campaign) to take on Sydney FC.