While United, again without the injured Sykes, went down to Sydney FC on Friday night less than a week after being beaten by Melbourne City.

But Sykes was one of the many plays who got a reminder there’s more to life than football when visiting Canberra’ Centenary Hospital to gift sick children Christmas presents through the Tom Efkarpidis Foundation.

"It seems bad at the moment and it's easy to get down about not being able to play and I start getting restless when I can't exercise and can't sleep, but it really gets put in perspective visiting kids in hospital," Sykes told The Canberra Times.

"What they're going through makes you realise things could be a lot worse and it was great to visit them and try to bring some Christmas cheer to the kids."

Canberra boasted the best attack in the W-League last season scoring 2.75 goals per game, but goals have been hard to come by so far this season.

Sykes, battling an ongoing ankle complaint, is the league's reigning golden boot winner but has netted just once in her five appearances this season.

"Obviously I'd like to contribute by scoring goals, that's what I'm there for, but we're still going through a process and have had some really difficult games where the other team's game plan has shut us down quite effectively," Sykes said.

"We're building and there were still lots of positive signs in breaking City's press... it just takes a bit of patience, we're improving every week and I'm not too worried because I know it will come."