Proud, yet frustrated. Newcastle Jets head coach used those two words to describe how he felt after his side’s gutsy 2-1 comeback win over Macarthur Bulls on Friday night.
Stanton was proud for obvious reasons; he’d just watched his side come from one goal down to claim three points in a pulsating affair at Campbelltown Stadium, highlighted by Eli Adams’ three-minute brace and a stoppage-time penalty save from Ryan Scott.
But the Jets coach has an ambitious vision of what the Jets can produce in the new campaign, and he wants that vision to come to fruition as soon as possible.
That’s where Stanton’s frustration stems from – but for now, he’s taking great encouragement from what he saw at Campbelltown Stadium on Friday night.
“I look at the playing group and, we lost a lot of goals this year (from last season’s squad) but we’ve had to rethink how we’re going to build and create those chances,” he told Network 10 post-game.
“I thought we created plenty of chances but my frustration is not that – my frustration is I know what it’s going to look like in 5-10 weeks. I know how it’s going to look in the back-end of the season.
“That’s going to take time, it’s not going to happen overnight.
“I’m proud of the team, it’s young, it plays with commitment, it’s got the right football attitude. We want to play a good brand of football. We’re here to try and excite the fans that come.”
MATCH REPORT: Youngster’s three-minute brace & a 91st-minute penalty save inspire Jets’ dramatic win over Bulls
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Stanton’s Jets showed positive signs in a 1-0 loss to Melbourne City in Round 1 but were much-improved against the Bulls; 22-year-old Adams was a standout, playing 90 minutes in just his second game at the club and scoring two quickfire goals to turn the game on its head.
Goalkeeper Ryan Scott was a stoppage-time hero, with his penalty save denying Valère Germain and the Bulls a share of the spoils – but equally impressive to both Adams and Scott was the impact of 21-year-old striker Ben Gibson.
Gibson joined the club from NPL NSW club APIA Leichhardt ahead of the 2024-25 season and, having scored 18 goals for his NPL side, was handed the first start of his Isuzu UTE A-League career against Macarthur. He supplied both assists to Adams on the night to ensure his first start in Newcastle colours will not be forgotten by Stanton, his teammates or the Jets fans any time soon.
The off-season departure of Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, who scored 17 goals last season, left a significant hole in the Jets attack and Stanton will be hoping the encouraging performances of both Adams and Gibson continue as the club looks toward a future with young players at the heart of it all.
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Another former Jets striker in Roy O’Donovan was pitchside for Newcastle’s 2-1 win over the Bulls and the Network 10 analyst was glowing in praise for what he saw from his old club in their first win of the season.
“The Jets have lift-off!” O’Donovan said on Network 10.
“We didn’t see it coming, I think in the final third in the first half they were absolutely nowhere, they pressed, they were game but in the final third, a lack of end product.
“But Eli Adams, his finishing in the second half was outstanding, Ben Gibson up front, his hold-up play, his assist work, and you have to say they had two chances on target, they were clinical, and Macarthur were just very, very sloppy indeed.”
For Eli Adams, Friday night’s win was special in more ways than one. In previous stints at Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory, Adams had made just five starts in 23 games but the young midfielder has been thrust into the thick of the action by Stanton, starting in Newcastle’s first two games of the season.
The uptick in minutes allowed Adams to put his fingerprints all over the Jets’ 2-1 win in Round 2, and as he spoke to Network 10 after his game-breaking display, he did so with a smile as he summed up what it meant to score his first A-Leagues goal in Jets colours – and a second to boot.
“It was certainly something special,” he told Network 10.
“I think credit goes to Scotty at the end there, he’s a trooper saving that last-minute pen. I think that’s his first-ever pen saved in the A-League. It shows we’re certainly coming together and this is a big step forward in the right direction for us.
“I like both (goals) – but I think the first one is a special one, being the first in Newcastle colours. That’ll be one I’ll cherish for a while.”
ROUND 2 PREVIEW: Melbourne Derby highlights blockbuster weekend in the Isuzu UTE A-League
