Newcastle Jets were close to walking away with an important three points before a late corner saw Perth Glory snatch a draw.
It was a familiar theme of the season for the Jets at McDonald Jones Stadium, again dropping points while being the dominant team on the day.
This time around it was two corners that meant the home team could only walk away with a solitary point, with the equaliser coming right at the death.
The 97th minute header from Ryan Williams saw the match finish 2-2, but a point isn’t ideal for either team in their race for a top-six finish with five games remaining.
Newcastle coach Arthur Papas is happy with what he saw on the field, especially in the two goals that they scored from open play. Individual errors continue to cost them, however, and it will be something that the Jets can work on over the international break.
“We played well enough to win the game today.
I don’t think it was a perfect game, but I thought there were enough quality chances,” she said.
“For us it feels like a loss to be honest, for them it feels like a win.”
The result did bring an end to a losing streak for the side, which comes at an important time. Sydney FC, who sit above the Jets on the table in 6th, suffered a defeat in their derby against Western Sydney Wanderers.
“This is a bit of a setback today. It’s a good response considering the last three games. It’s a response at home, a better performance at home,” Papas said.
The difference is now just two points, and a finals appearance remains possible. Papas wants his team to focus on each game as it comes, and not be concerned with exactly how many wins it will take to solidify a top six finish.
“All that matters is how you front up every day, that’s all you control,” he said.
“We’ve just got to stay focused on recovering well, prepare for the next game, work hard and maintain a positive attitude.”
A bright spark in the match for the home side was Carl Jenkinson who was ever-present at centre-back. He has also been deployed at right-back, where he played most of his football in the Premier League with Arsenal.
The most recent star of the A-Leagues All Access series had one of his best games in gold at the heart of defence.
He was solid when making challenges, however he played a key role in Newcastle’s build up play by often finding teammates in space with progressive passes.
When a pass wasn’t on, he looked just as comfortable driving out of defence with the ball, starting multiple attacks by opening up the space for his teammates. Papas was full of praise, but thinks he can get even more out of the import.
“It’s just something we expect of our centre backs. If there’s space in front of them, we’re happy for them to drive into the midfield,” he said.
“He can do it more. Once he starts driving, he’s very hard to stop. He’s very quick and he can attack the space really well.”
The match following the break will see the Jets come up against league-leaders Melbourne city in what is sure to be a tough fixture.
Feature Image Credit: Sproule Sports Focus
Enjoy this content? Support The Football Sack
Due in part to COVID and lack of current sponsorship we are at risk of not having the funds to continue running The Football Sack. If you enjoy our content and support our work in training talented young writers, please support us with a donation. If every reader contributed just $3, our funding would be covered for over ten years.
| DONATE |
