Brisbane Roar attacking midfielder Henry Hore is such a weapon as a super sub against tired legs that coach Warren Moon admits he almost demands to be picked in that role.
The 23-year-old lifted the entire side when he came on in the second half of the 0-0 draw with A-League Men leaders Melbourne City on Saturday night and showcased a style of football Moon wants his team to keep playing.
Slightly built, Hore has an energetic presence and an ability to beat his man and set up supports with electrifying darts.
He gave Carlo Armiento an opportunity late on that just went wide and ran the City defenders ragged.
"Henry is an excellent A-League player right now and he is only going to get better," Moon said.
"Probably to his detriment, he is the one person that always comes on and has impact against tired legs.
"I know I could start him but with what was required from the start in the game plan that we wanted he was probably unlucky, because his performances have been pretty good.
"One thing I know about Henry is that if he starts or comes on he is always looking to have an impact."
There was plenty to like about the Roar's approach against City with the ball. They had 12 shots on goal to City's 13 and played with the kind of panache Moon wants to see more of.
"I'd love to play more like we did tonight," he said.
"We were much more up-tempo, more aggressive and had a better intensity about us."
While happy, Moon still felt his players needed to "start capitalising on moments and opportunities we create".
The coach gave centre-forward Ayom Majok his debut off the bench and the 20-year-old brought the crowd to their feet with his lightning runs and energy.
Majok played one A-League game for Western United in 2020 and has been signed by the Roar after a stint at Adelaide United in the NPL.
"He's not been here long. We had a look at him this week and liked what we saw," Moon said.
"The club has signed him up and we threw him into the mix. Football is about taking opportunities and we've had injuries, illness and departures. Timing is everything.
"He finds his way onto an A-League bench and I thought he was quite exciting."
Moon said he was tempted to play Austrian attacking midfielder Marcel Canadi against City but he just arrived in Australia on Wednesday after linking with the Roar from HNK Sibenik, who compete in Croatia's top division.
"He just needs a good full training week under his belt," Moon said.
