Newcastle win second away match on the trot

Newcastle Jets scored their second away win in a row when they downed bottom-side Adelaide United 2-0 at Hindmarsh Stadium tonight before Adelaide’s lowest attendance of the season - 8,502.

The win lifted the Jets into sixth place, where they displaced Wellington Phoenix, who had moved into sixth spot earlier in the day.

The win ended a run of 15 consecutive away defeats by the Jets, a run that began after they won the title two seasons ago.

Adelaide missed some glorious chances and seem incapable of scoring.

Cristiano missed an open goal in the first half and then shot straight at the goalkeeper near the end.

Matthew Leckie was unlucky late in the game when his fine curling shot from the left was tipped wide for a corner by Newcastle keeper Neil Young.

And, Travis Dodd misdirected an easy header, placing the ball straight at the keeper.

Newcastle suffered an early blow when Michael Bridges went off after just a quarter of an hour with a strained hamstring.

Striker Sean Rooney was in outstanding form for the Jets and was touted as a potential future Socceroo after tonight’s performance.

Newcastle might have hit the front after just three minutes when Rooney’s pass put Song Jin-Hyung in the clear on the right, but the Korean blazed wide.

A minute into stoppage time at the end of the first half, Matt Thompson put the visitors in front from Tarek Elrich’s cut-back from the right.

Eleven minutes from the end, Song made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after Scott Jamieson had handled Jobe Wheelhouse’s shot.

“I think we probably started the game in positive fashion and had a couple of good chances in the first half,” said Adelaide United’s assistant manager, Phil Stubbins.

“Certainly one that I recall fell to Cristiano.

“Obviously, it’s just not going in. What do you do to rectify that?

“I’m not really sure.

“As a consequence of not scoring, we then found ourselves on the back foot again and conceded a sloppy goal on the stroke of half-time.

“We just can’t turn a trick at the moment, so it’s disappointing to say the least.”