Photo: Newcastle Jets climb to 6th on A-League ladder [PlessPix]
Melbourne Heart 0-2 Newcastle Jets
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Newcastle Jets made it six games without defeat when they beat Melbourne Heart 2-0 away at AAMI Park in Melbourne this evening.
The Heart have now gone six games without a win and they have not scored a goal in 529 minutes of play.
The home side had 69 per cent of the possession against 31 per cent by Newcastle but, despite some glorious chances against a 10-man Newcastle, just could not break through.
The visitors had midfielder Jobe Wheelhouse sent off after just 8 minutes. Wheelhouse conceded a free-kick for a tackle on Michael Thompson and then pushed Aziz Behich in the face, prompting referee Alan Milliner to produce the red card.
This only spurred the Jets on and they scored twice in the space of 6 minutes shortly after to take the initiative and win the game.
In the 12th minute they won a dubious corner, from which Francis Jeffers scored after controlling the ball near the edge of the box and placing a slow shot agonisingly past several players and into the net.
Branko Jesic made it 2-0 in the 18th minute when Jeffers put him away on the right and he calmly slotted the ball past the advancing Clint Bolton from an angle on the right.
Adrian Zahra should have put the Heart back in the game in the 39th minute, but he blazed over the bar from close range.
Try as they might, the home side could not wear down their resolute opponents on what was a very wet night in Melbourne. They twice hit the woodwork, including a great effort by Rutger Worm with 7 minutes remaining, his shot clipping the top of the bar.
The Heart might also have had at least two penalties, one for a handball by Nikolai Topor-Stanley and the other for a foul by Ljube Milicevic, but Mr Milliner would have none of it.
The Jets moved up into 6th place on 21 points, a point behind 5th-ranked Wellington Phoenix and level with the 7th-placed Melbourne Heart. The Jets and the Heart are a point ahead of 8th-placed Melbourne Victory.
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Melbourne Heart: Bolton - Hamill (Hoffman 27), Colosimo, Beauchamp (Sarkies 46), Behich - Marrone, Kalmar, Thompson - Zahra, Sibon, Worm (Subs not used: Heffernan, Zois)
Newcastle Jets: Nash - Kantarovski, Milicevic, Topor-Stanley, D’Apuzzo - Zadkovich, Wehrman, Wheelhouse - Jesic (Fiorentini 87), Jeffers (Haliti 69), Abbas (Subs not used: Petrovski, Duncan)
Booked: Zadkovich 41, Jeffers 62
Sent off: Wheelhouse 8
Att: 3,114
Ref: A Milliner
9 comments:
It appears the Melbourne crowds aren't too fond of the new rectangular stadium. They are well down on Etihad crowds.
There was a good discussion about this on 442.
Decentric
Missed the first half, but the defensive unit of Milecevic and Topor-Stanley defended well collectively and individually. Good positioning and one on one play was a feature of both centre backs.
Kantarovski and Wehrman also screened the defence effectively. It was under sustained pressure, because of numerical disadvantage.
Decentric
APE wrote:
Not even the referees can stop our resurgence, terrible performance by the officials in contrast to Jeffers who was bloody brilliant!
Also Nash, Ljubes and Toppa were all rocks.
HEARTACHE says...
Hoffman was great in the second half as was Sarkies. Newcastle I don't think had a shot on goal apart from the two that went in. Bolton never touched the ball in the second half. 25 shots to 2 in the end so don't flatter yourself even with 10 on the field. Heart were unlucky (3 posts and definite penalty not given) and the Jets keeper pulled in a game that he will probably never see again.
Still a few players to come into the Heart side which would have been handy tonight..Skoko and Shroj.
Good to see Sarkies back!!!!
Good article, Walter.
Alf Ramsey
Walter...Please, enough with the pictures of air "O" planes!!!!! just go with no picture at all when discussing the jets, it gives me the heeby jeebies!
The new stadium is brilliant. Strange that crowds are so far down when the football is so superior to previous seasons. It's become something of a negative cycle; crowds down so people think "I won't go". Crowds drop further, we don't get the world cup and more people think "Football is in crisis, I won't go". It has become self fulfilling.
The quality of the A-League is ok and improving, and with good crowds i.e Jets/Galaxy, Heart/Victory the atmosphere is brilliant. I find it more enjoyable watching than many of the mid-table Premier League games.
Mike Basset
England Manager
The reason the crowds are down on Etihad is because Victory only play their biggest drawing crowds at Etihad..
Sydney and Adelaide
The new stadium is way better than Etihad for football games
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