Newcastle Jets have turned around their season with an upset win over in-form Adelaide United in a tight affair.
The Jets have put in a season-defining performance against Adelaide and will look to capitalise on the momentum heading into the new year.
With American stars Murphy Agnew and Sarah Griffith both succumbing to injury before the round, it was always going to be a tall order to topple an Adelaide side that had gotten off to a flying start so far this season.
Having conceded two goals so far in five rounds, both coming in the same game, Adelaide looked to continue their run of form against the struggling Jets, but it was the Newcastle side that had the last laugh.
Lauren Allan netted two goals in the match, both of which came from her getting in behind the previously impenetrable Adelaide defence.
“We definitely needed a huge confidence boost,” said Allan.
“We’ve conceded quite a bit the last few games.
We just needed a win, and now we’re all coming in firing and ready to go.”
Allan praises the defensive efforts of the team and looks ahead to the upcoming fixtures which could be the start of a push to climb up the ladder.
“We wanted to pump each other up, have fun, turn the new year on a high”, she said.
“Keeping a clean sheet as well, it’s exactly what we needed.
“Hopefully we can carry that onto next week and make this our fortress at home”
Coach Ash Wilson may have some tougher choices with team selection in the upcoming games, with the squad performing so well today without the attacking threat of Griffith and Agnew.
It’s usually a good problem for the coach to have, however, especially with a tough fixture coming up against the red-hot Sydney FC.
Speaking on the game, Wilson said “the fact that we were solid in defence, we showed desperation when we needed to, and kept a clean sheet, that was outstanding.”
Wilson was happy to see the defensive tweaks made in training beginning to yield results on the field, and with a first clean sheet of the season coming against such a threatening side, she will hope that the team can maintain this new standard.
“We’ve been working a lot on how we communicate and organise against teams that like to move a lot,” she said.
“It’s been a progression over the last few weeks.
“To get into half time and be in that position, that was another thing that gave us a lot of confidence coming into that second half.”
Newcastle face Sydney FC next which will be a difficult challenge for the side, however the squad will be bolstered with the return of Sarah Griffith in time for the fixture looking likely.
Feature image credit: Ashley Feder
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