Newcastle striker Michael Bridges believes confidence will play a key role in their Round 17 Hyundai A-League clash with Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium on Friday night.
Newcastle heads into the fixture on a high after an impressive 3-1 away win over Sydney last week while Adelaide suffered a 2-1 away loss to the North Queensland Fury to slide to the cellar of the Hyundai A-League table for the first time in the history of the club.
“I think it is first time Adelaide has been bottom of the league since the competition started so their confidence is going to be rocked. We are coming off a great win against Sydney so we will be going there in good spirits,” said Bridges.
“We are not the biggest of team we are not going to bully people. But mentally we are strong. I think that showed against Sydney last week – we can play with the best in the league. We have got nothing to fear.”
Bridges credited the Jets coaching staff for getting the team mentally ready for the match against Sydney after Newcastle had put in a disappointing display to lose 1-0 at home to Wellington the week prior.
“The sessions that Jonesy (assistant coach Mark Jones) and Branko (Culina) put on before the Sydney game it was a nice refreshing change. We had some five-a-side competitions and things like and it really got the boys spirits up,” Bridges said.
“We have a young squad and sometimes that can work against you because when you are getting beat they can go under the ‘kosh’ – we can be a little bit negative and that invites pressure but when you are winning a snowball effect can happen and if we can put back-to-back wins together we can have a good season.”
The Englishman, who recently re-signed with the Jets for another two seasons, said the Jets were seeking some consistent results to propel a charge up the table. He indicated that all the players from last week’s clash were fit so they might be able to go into the match with the same run-on side which has a huge boost in their search to register back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
“It was my first game with the Jets when we went there last time and it was a 1-1 draw so we will be going down there to get the win and hopefully put our first back-to-back win together,” he said.
“We keep going on about it every time we win – can we go on to the next step and string some wins together? I think if we can go there and get the three points it will be a great indicator for the rest of our season. The confidence is high so why not?”
“We have got two home games after this match, so if we can get the win and get the travel out of our legs we have a real chance to nine points out of the next three games.”
