English import Francis Jeffers is a chance of making a rare start for the Newcastle Jets when they take on the Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium.
English import Francis Jeffers is a chance of making a rare start for the Newcastle Jets when they take on the Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
Jeffers made his return from a month-long heel injury coming off the bench in the 1-1 draw with Adelaide in Bathurst on Wednesday night and comes into contention for a starting spot with Jets coach Gary van Egmond forced to rotate his squad for the quick turn around against the Roar.
“A couple of players have pulled up a little sore and some had cramp and we have had to rotate the squad,” van Egmond said.
“We have Marko (Jesic) dropping out. But young Peps (Jacob Pepper) and Byun come back in. Francis (Jeffers) is a chance of coming back in, as is Jobe (Wheelhouse).
“He (Wheelhouse) has been out for four weeks that is a great deal of football to miss and that is the same for Francis.
“But they are starting to get more training and game time under their belt so we will start them and see how much time we get out of them.”
The Jets coach used Jeffers and former English Premier League peer Michael Bridges in tandem in the back half of the match against the Reds and the pair looked dangerous as Newcastle looked to grab a late winner in Bathurst.
Bridges is again in the squad for this week’s match but is unlikely to start alongside Jeffers.
“Brisbane are a highly mobile team and we have to make sure we can compete with their mobility,” van Egmond said.
“The game will start to tire and that is where Francis and Bridgey come into their own.
“The positive of that is the players coming in will be fresh and give the squad a real boost.”
Van Egmond also suggested that he would most likely go with a four-man defensive line to counter Brisbane’s three-pronged attack.
“We did well against Adelaide for the mainstay playing with a back three,” he said.
“We will have a look what we do against the Roar as they play three up front so it would be a bit adventurous to go with the back three again.”
