A first-half double from Jets striker Jeremy Brockie has fired the Newcastle Jets to an impressive 2-0 win over Perth Glory in a feisty Hyundai A-league encounter at Ausgrid Stadium on Saturday evening.
The Kiwi international picked up goals in the 10th and 11th minutes as the Jets started the match on fire.
Newcastle pressured a shell-shocked Glory outfit with new recruit Francis Jeffers and Ruben Zadkovich harassing the Glory defenders while Kasey Wehrman and Jobe Wheelhouse dominated the midfield battle in a tough match that saw six yellow cards handed out.
Shane Smeltz had a couple of chances in the second half but the Jets shut down the Glory attack effectively to give coach Gary van Egmond the first win of his new tenure.
The win moved the Jets into equal second spot on the table with the Glory.
The Jets applied all the early pressure and it paid dividends when Brockie scored his first goal.
A Wheelhouse through-ball put the Kiwi international away down the right wing and he was allowed to weave his way into the box where he fired a blistering shot from an acute angle that rocketed just inside the far post.
Brockie got his second just one minute later courtesy of a deft chip over the top and into the box from Wherman.
Brockie’s first touch turned his marker Seb van der Brink inside out before the Jets winger fired off a great volley from six metres to make it 2-0 after 11 minutes.
The Jets continued to apply pressure and went close to getting a third.
Brockie fired over the top after another Wehrmen through ball, Ryan Griffiths headed into the side netting from a Wehrman corner while Brockie again headed over after good work from Griffiths down the left wing.
Perth hardly got out of their territory and their only real chance of the first half fell to Billy Mehmet when he pounced on a wayward back pass from Nikolai Topor-Stanley but the big Irishman saw his low shot from the edge of the area saved by Jets goalkeeper Ben Kennedy.
The Jets pushed for another goal just before half-time with another dangerous Wehrman corner but the Glory defence was able to scramble the ball clear and the sides went to the break with the Jets leading 2-0.
The Glory started the second half with more gusto and a definite plan to push down the left flank through Josh Mitchell and substitute Andrezinho and started to create some chances for their front men.
Shane Smeltz, who had been well marked by youngster Taylor Regan, rattled the crossbar with a dipping volley from the edge of the area in the 62nd minute before the pair was involved in an altercation that saw both shown a yellow card each in the 64th minute.
Jeffers got through a mountain of work in his season debut before he was replaced in the 68th minute by Labinot Haliti.
The Jets continued to look good and some great passing up the middle of the park saw Wehrman put Wheelhouse through on goal but his shot was well saved by Perth goalkeeper Danny Vukovic.
The Glory continued to search for a way back with Smeltz firing past the far post with a shot from inside the area before heading just wide from a dangerous corner.
Another lovely through ball from Wehrman put Griffiths through on goal and he probably should have shot for goal but he pulled the ball back for substitute James Virgili who was disposed by Chris Coyne.
Glory’s Travis Dodd got into a goal-scoring position late in the match but saw his shot well blocked by Regan as the Jets pushed to the final whistle for a well-deserved victory.
Newcastle Jets 2 (Brockie 10, 11)
Perth Glory 0
Crowd: 12,383 @ Ausgrid Stadium
