Newcastle Jets secured a 1-0 win over the Rockdale City Suns at Ilinden Sports Centre on Tuesday night.
Newcastle Jets secured a 1-0 win over the Rockdale City Suns at Ilinden Sports Centre on Tuesday night.
A Jobe Wheelhouse goal in first-half stoppage time proved to be the difference between the sides, in what was another testing pre-season encounter for Gary van Egmond’s side.
The Jets fashioned the first chance of the match when James Virgili found himself in space just outside the box following some nice interplay on the edge of the area between Adam Taggart and Marko Jesic.
Unfortunately for the Jets, Virgili was unable to get his right-footed drive on target.
The Jets- next chance came through forward Adam Taggart who headed a dangerous Mitch Cooper free-kick over the bar from the edge of the six-yard box.
Jesic was the next to go close for the Jets with his low-driven effort following a Jets corner cleared off the line.
The Jets didn-t have it all their own way however, with the Suns looking dangerous at set pieces and going close to taking the lead on a couple of occasions.
However it was the Jets who eventually opened the scoring through captain Jobe Wheelhouse right on the stroke of half time. Virgili played a precise cross-field pass into the path of Jesic who had made a run down the left flank.
Jesic squared the ball to Wheelhouse who side-footed home from just outside the six-yard box.
Craig Goodwin should have doubled the Jets- lead when he worked his way into the box from the left wing but he fired his right-footed shot from close range over the crossbar.
The Jets made five substitutions midway through the second half with Bernardo Ribeiro coming on the make his first appearance in Jets colours.
The Jets had another golden opportunity when Mitch Oxborrow dispossessed a Rockdale defender near the halfway line.
Oxborrow was in clear space with only the Rockdale goalkeeper to beat, but his touch was too heavy, allowing the goalkeeper to come off his line and the ball.
The clearance only went as far as Ribeiro however, but the Brazilian was unable to take a shot at the empty net while under pressure from the Rockdale defence.
Ribeiro was in the thick of the action a short time later when he had a shot from the edge of the area blocked by a Rockdale defender. The rebound fell back to the feet of Ribeiro whose first-time follow up effort went inches wide.
The Jets were unable to find a second goal but stayed in control of the fixture to secure a 1-0 victory.
