A late strike from Umut Tokdogan has seen the Newcastle Jets claim a gutsy 1-0 victory over Brisbane in a gritty National Youth League affair at Ballymore Stadium on Saturday.
The two sides played with plenty of gusto throughout the free-flowing and physical encounter, but dour defending kept the game deadlocked until Tokdogan broke the shackles in the 77th minute.
Jason Naidovski nodded the ball onto Tokdogan, who struck the leather sweetly, while referee Matt Gillett waved away the Roar’s cries of offside.
James Virgili and Naidovski had a handful of chances to open their account early on, while Mirjan Pavlovic and Jesse Pinto made meaningful contributions after coming off the bench in the 55th minute.
Pavlovic almost broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute when the striker’s blistering shot beat Roar keeper Matt Acton but went cannoning into the crossbar.
The Jets almost made the most of the ensuring scrap in the box, but Roar captain Daniel Bowes was able to make the clearance, as he had done on a number of occasions in the first half.
The home side’s best chance came in the 65th minute when Adam Sarota shuffled into the box and fired sharply, but Newcastle keeper Neil Young produced a brilliant save.
Kenneth Dougall then had a chance within a minute of Sarota’s strike, but pushed his shot wide.
Brisbane’s Jordan Farina also had a golden opportunity to snag a goal in the 18th minute, but his powerhouse strike was directed straight at Young.
Roar coach Rado Vidosic made all three of his changes in the 63rd minute in search of a creative spark, but it did not come to fruition.
The win, Newcastle’s second for the 2009/10 NYL season, sees the Jets leapfrog the Roar into seventh spot on the ladder.
Ironically the Jets only other victory for the season also came against the men in orange in Round 1.
The Roar take on Adelaide United next Friday while the Jets will be hoping to string two wins together on the trot when they lost the bottom-placed Australian Institute of Sport on Sunday.
National Youth League Round 8
Brisbane Roar 0
Newcastle Jets 1 (Tokdogan 77)
