Western Sydney Wanderers come up against a last-gasp Newcastle Jets today and a win or draw will secure the Premier’s Plate for the A-League new boys.

But with the Gosford outfit still clinging to the hope of retaining regular season honours there’s not much time to focus on anything bar a win at home against Melbourne Heart the following day.

“I know it’s difficult – we’ve got to rely on results but we’re not too worried – we’re just doing our own thing,” Fitzgerald told au.fourfourtwo.com

“If we get the win on the weekend hopefully we can lift the Premiers Plate but we’re focusing on ourselves.

“I won’t be watching it (the Wanderers match). You can get caught up in it all and really we have to concentrate on our own game and hopefully we can get a result on Saturday.”

Despite so much hanging on 90 minutes of football, Fitzgerald said coach Graham Arnold had been relaxed in the lead up to the deciding round.

“Arnie’s been good,” he said. “It’s a tough situation to be in to wait around for results but he’s told us to focus solely on ourselves and what we can do.

"No matter what happens, we’ll be a good team in the finals and really give it a shake this year.”

The Australian U23 rep has hardly had a chance to draw breath since a very public tug-of-war with former club Brisbane Roar earlier in the season.

After being frozen out of the first team by coach Mike Mulvey, Fitzgerald won early release to head south and has racked up half a dozen appearances on his return to Bluetongue where he started in the National Youth League.

Following Roar’s tilt at Asia last season, he’s also seen a return to Champions League duty including a 60 minute shift in the Mariner’s 3-1 away loss to J.League outfit Kashiwa Reysol.

It’s been a rollercoaster ride for the 21-year-old who says he’s back where he belongs.

“It was a hard transition from Brisbane who were trying to get into the top six and then come to the Mariners who are pushing for the Premiership,” he said. “There was a kind of different vibe between the camps.

“But the boys have been really good to me since I’ve come back – helped me to fit in really well and I’m happy that I’ve come down here. And I’m playing again with some of my best mates in Bernie (Ibini) and Maty Ryan too.

“Just the opportunity to work with Graham Arnold and (Phil) Mossy – it’s been a highlight to work under two of the best coaches going around the A-League and in one of the best teams.

“They’ve been great for me – Arnie’s got his own way of getting his philosophy out there to the boys. It’s taken me some time but hopefully my own personal game will get better and better.”

With so much football on their plate, Fitzgerald said it’s been easier to cope with the off-field financial dramas which saw the club struggle to make player payments.

Existing investor Mike Charlesworth took a controlling interest in the franchise this week averting, for the time being at least, a financial meltdown.

“We’re so close - we could win the Premiership and take the Championship – we were really lucky that we could concentrate on football and trying to get the results,” Fitzgerald said of the club’s recent troubles.

“So that’s what we’ve been doing. It was a tough situation to be in but the boys are happy it’s all cleared up now.”