Oscar Fryer made his long-awaited Newcastle Jets debut as Mark Milligan’s men powered through to the 2025 Australia Cup quarter-finals on Wednesday night.
There were a lot of takeaways from Newcastle’s 5-0 rout of NPLM NNSW club Cooks Hill United in front of a venue-record crowd of 4,256 at No.2 Sportsground.
Academy graduate Xavier Bertoncello was on the scoresheet along with two-goal star Daniel Wilmering, Japan international Kota Mizunuma and Ben Gibson.
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But the bow of 19-year-old Fryer was a highlight after the youngster came off the bench. It was a significant moment following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury 13 months ago that denied him the opportunity to debut for Newcastle, where he arrived from Sydney FC’s youth team in July last year.
“It felt amazing. A long time coming,” he told the Jets post-game. “Just happy to be back.”
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It was a successful outing for the Jets as they continue to embark on their new era under the leadership of Socceroos great Milligan.
The Jets reached the quarter-finals of the Australia Cup for just the second time in the club’s history as two-time winners and reigning champions Macarthur Bulls await in the last eight.
There were also academy graduates making their mark for Newcastle, who ended Cooks Hill United’s fairytale run.
While Bertoncello scored, Christian Bracco – who made his first start – and Max Cooper were also in the starting XI.
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Auckland FC will feature in the Australia Cup quarter-finals for the first time after seeing off NPLM VIC giants South Melbourne 3-0.
Jesse Randall flexed his muscles with two goals as the reigning Isuzu UTE A-League premiers overcame South Melbourne at Lakeside Stadium.
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It continued the 22-year-old’s strong Australia Cup form with three goals in two matches. It comes after he scored three goals in 17 matches last season.
Marlee Francois rounded out the victory for the Black Knights, who are gearing up for their second A-Leagues season, while Sydney FC await in the quarter-finals of the Australia Cup.
It was also a special night for 17 year-old Luka Vicelich, who made his professional debut for Auckland FC – becoming the club’s youngest ever player. He is the son of Ivan, New Zealand men’s most-capped player.
“Very tough first half for us. Very physical,” said Auckland head coach Steve Corica via Paramount+.
“We had to fight through challenges. They were really up for it and we expected that.
“We got the goals we needed. The second half we kept the ball a lot better and the space opened for us.”
