After a lacklustre first-half in which both sides were locked 0-0, two goals in five minutes early in the second gave the Newcastle Jets a 2-0 win over Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.
Jets Skipper Matthew Thompson opened up the scoring for the away side when he broke the off-side trap and slotted home five minutes into the second-half. Thompson was involved a short time later when his pressure forced Matt Mckay to handle in the area, Michael Bridges stepping up to the nail the resulting spot-kick.
Playing its third game in six days a weary Newcastle welcomed back Ben Kantarovski from suspension as well veteran defender Ange Costanzo and ‘keeper Ben Kennedy who replaced first-choice keeper Neil Young (Broken nose).
As Ange Postecoglou’s Roar revolution takes place, new signing Pieter Collen and goalkeeper Mathew Ham both made their debut in front of the Brisbane faithful.
Roar target man Sergio van Dijk had the first shot of the match in the 10th minute when Brisbane was awarded a free-kick 30 yards out. Distance wasn’t an issue for the Dutchman however his shot was hit straight at Kennedy who didn’t have to move an inch.
It was Brisbane who made the better start to the match with midfield pair Massimo Murdocca and new Captain Matt McKay able to direct traffic with relative ease.
Brazilian Reinaldo flashed wide with a shot on the turn in the 26th minute his effort was followed by Jin-Hyung Song for the Jets three minutes later but the South Korean’s effort scuttled wide with little intent.
With the Roar controlling most of the possession but able to do little in the final third, Newcastle woke up in the 42nd minute with Michael Bridges having the first half’s best chance to score.
After receiving the ball from Song’s cross from the right, Wheelhouse teed-up Bridges at the top of the area and with the Englishman bearing down the goal looked certain to be tested, however in summing up the first-half the ball sailed high and wide off Bridges’ boot.
Emerging from the break, the match opened right up beginning with Michael Zullo’s left foot shot from out-side the box. The effort only went as far as Kennedy who threw the ball immediately out to the Jets midfield to start an attack forward.
The quick break caught the Roar napping and Bridges played a crafty back-heel to Jets Captain Mathew Thomopson who beat the off-side trap and broke in the box slotting low past the right of motionless Roar custodian Ham.
Reinaldo almost gave the Roar an equaliser when a sloppy back-pass put Costanzo under-pressure in the area. After managing to out-muscle Costanzo, Reinaldo only had Kennedy to beat, but the No. 11 couldn’t finish with his off-balance shot scuffing wide of the target.
With action moving from end-to-end referee Mathew Breeze after having a good think, awarded the Jets a penalty in the 55th minute, when Mckay handled in the area after pressure from Thompson.
Bridges took responsibility from the spot and made no-mistake slotting home his right-foot shot low into the bottom corner and giving the Jets a 2-0 lead.
McKay had the chance to redeem himself in the 62nd minute when Ivan Franjic whipped in a cross from the right. With players running in McKay could only managed to get his thingh on the ball and Kennedy was able to gather.
Tensions flared for a moment in the 73rd when Roar substitute Adam Sarota, and Jets defender Adam D’Apuzzo came into contact. Breeze quickly gained control of the scuffle and issued Sarota with a yellow card for his foul on D’Apuzzo.
Kennedy kept the Jets’ lead in tact ten minutes later when he tipped Reinaldo’s goal-bound header over the bar and into safety after Franjic put in a great cross from the corner flag.
Luke Devere’s header in the 89th minute was the last chance for Brisbane to try and get something from the match but his header sailed over and the Roar felt its 11th defeat of the season sink in.
Jets coach Branko Culina was pleased with the result giving credit to his players after they turned around Wednesday night’s loss to the Gold Coast.
“Credit to the players they have bounced back really well with only a few days to recover.”
“We felt we weren’t in the game in the first half. In the second-half Matthew Thomspon and Michael Bridges worked well in tandem, it was a good balance and it clicked between the midfield and the attack which gave us what we were looking for,” Culina said.
Disappointed by the result Roar boss Ange Postecoglou attributed a lack of confidence to the loss.
“We got caught with the goal and unfortunately that’s the rut were going through at the moment where we are just lacking a lot of confidence…as soon as the goal went in we dropped our level,” Postecoglou said.
Brisbane Roar – 0
Newcastle Jets – 2
(Thompson, 50′ – Bridges 55′ [Penalty])
Crowd – 6,656
@ Suncorp Stadium
