The Newcastle Jets could not find the back of the net with 28 shots to Wellington Phoenix’s 12, with the Nix taking home the 2-1 win.
It’s the definition of frustrating. In the first and second half, Newcastle were the better side. They did not deserve to lose.
If Stefan Marinovic had not performed for the Nix in the final phase of the match, the Jets would have won. Had Jason Hoffman not skyed a point-blank shot, they would have won.
It was a night of should have, could have, would have.
Jets’ interim coach Craig Deans was frank about how he felt and said it was devastating.
“We punch above our weight a lot, but right now we’re in a tough situation and we need to keep pushing and keep working and stay positive,” he said.
“Ultimately, we’ve got too much quality to be in this situation.
“Twenty-eight shots to 12, that tells a story.”
Newcastle’s big problem was their inability to finish with Hoffman’s miss being the clearest example but far from the only one.
Deans said it was frustrating to watch.
“We spurned about two, three, four chances in the first half,” he said.
“There were others in the second half as well.”
Newcastle did not play poorly, they played well. There were positives to take away, such as an effective formation change.
Deans said he thought his side matched up quite well against the Nix’s 4-4-2.
“The back three gave us a bit more grip on the game as well as the ability to stretch it,” he said.
“We’ve been lacking in full backs not getting high enough early in the early game so that change helped us.
“Other than a couple of missed chances, Hoffy and Abdiel Arroyo worked well together.
“Dimi Petratos was involved a bit more than in previous games and it looks like he’s getting his confidence back.”
In more bad news for Newcastle, defender Lachlan Jackson was forced off the pitch in the first half with a suspected ACL injury and left the stadium on crutches.
Deans said it was disappointing because of his age at 24, with four or five of his best years ahead of him.
“He hasn’t had a scan yet but it’s looking like it’s an ACL, fingers crossed that isn’t the case,” he said.
“It’s disappointing…there’s a lot of improvement to come.
“If he misses the next eight to 12 months that’s really disappointing and we’ll support him as best we can.”
Featured image credit: Newcastle Jets
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