Win Stalls Jets' Descent From Top To Bottom
Sydney Morning Herald
Monday January 19, 2009
Newcastle Jets 2
Perth Glory 1 ONLY rarely this season have Newcastle fans had much to cheer about, but last night provided some rare respite for the suffering faithful as the Jets held on to grab a 2-1 win over Perth at EnergyAustralia Stadium.The win was just their fourth of the season and adds a tinge of credibility to a campaign in which they fell from champions to wooden spooners, making it one of the worst championship hangovers in professional Australian sport.However, while the win provided some joy to the faithful, the match lived up to its billing as a clash between the bottom two teams, and seldom was there much in the way of memorable football played by either side. Sloppy passing and poor decision-making seemed to infect the midfields of both sides, but the Jets at least manage to craft a steady stream of chances from the opening.Newcastle hit the lead not long before half-time through a strong header from former Melbourne Victory defender Antun Kovacic, while a crisply taken penalty from Mark Milligan was enough to secure the points. Perth hit back through Scott Bulloch after 65 minutes, but it would prove no more than a consolation.Both teams fielded a host of unfamiliar faces, especially in attack where both sides were without their first-choice strikers. For the Jets, young Brodie Mooy paired with Matt Thompson, while the absence of Nikita Rukavytsya and Eugene Dadi meant Perth coach Dave Mitchell pushed Victor Sikora into a forward role alongside Bulloch.After an even opening 10 minutes, the Jets had the first real chance of the game when a neat one-two with Kaz Patafta set Thompson up to unleash a strong shot on goal, but Perth keeper Tando Velaphi was able to parry it wide.The best chance of the half fell to Jets midfielder Jobe Wheelhouse after Mooy's neat flick, but as he charged through on goal with only Velaphi to beat, he fluffed his shot from 12 metres and the ball was tipped out for a corner.But the Jets would eventually get their goal after 41 minutes when Patafta's well-placed corner was met solidly by Kovacic, who bulleted a textbook header into the top corner.In one of his infrequent starts, Patafta was a source of much creativity for the Jets even if he was a little rusty at times. He buzzed around the midfield with purpose and looked lively from start to finish, perhaps with a point to prove to coach Gary van Egmond.The Jets extended their lead after 54 minutes when Thompson charged through the stagnant Glory defence and, with the goal in sight, Perth stopper David Tarka flung his leg out and brought down the attacker, giving referee Kris Griffiths-Jones no choice but to award a penalty, with Tarka earning a yellow card in the process. After a minor dispute between Jin-Hyung Song and Milligan about who would take the penalty, Milligan eventually won out and converted with a firmly hit strike to construct a handy buffer between the two teams.The Glory pegged one back on a swift counter-attack, with Sikora speeding away from his marker to drag the ball toward the byline before the Dutchman beautifully squared the ball to Bulloch, for an easy tap-in finish that gave the small band of travelling fans hope of an unlikely equaliser in the remaing 25 minutes.Inevitably, Perth attempted to seize the initiative and snatch another goal before full-time but without Dadi and Rukavytsya, they looked largely impotent in the front third. Newcastle had a few chances of their own to increase the lead, but poor finishing denied them a chance to put an extra sweetener on an all-too-rare win.? Wellington: A 10-man Wellington Phoenix have kept their A-League play-off hopes alive with a gutsy 1-1 draw against Adelaide United, NZPA reports.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
