Newcastle has ended North Queensland’s five-match unbeaten Hyundai A-League run with a solid 2-0 win at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Sunday evening.
The Jets dominated the match controlling the ball in the midfield and creating a host of goal-scoring opportunities while their defence, well-marshalled by Ljubo Milicevic, kept the Robbie Fowler-led Fury attack quiet.
Fury goalkeeper Paul Henderson made a number of impressive saves to keep his side in the contest but he was unable to deny Newcastle skipper Matt Thompson scoring from point-blank range in the 55th minute. Englishman Michael Bridges sealed the win for the Jets with a penalty in the 85th minute.
The win lifts Newcastle off the bottom of the table, moving the club to 16 points and just a point outside the top six, while North Queensland slides back to tenth at the halfway stage of the 2009/10 season.
Fury coach Ian Ferguson said the club wouldn’t dwell on the loss but he was disappointed with his team’s performance.
“Newcastle was by far the better team over the 90 minutes and they deserved the victory,” he said after the match. “But I am just disappointed in the manner of how we played … Newcastle looked hungrier.”
Newcastle was forced into a late change just before the match with goalkeeper Ben Kennedy injuring his groin in the warm-up. Thirty-year-old back-up Neil Young, who played half a game in the National Youth League match earlier in the afternoon, was handed his senior’s debut and for the most part looked solid in goals.
The Jets started with an attacking frame of mind, coach Branko Culina playing Bridges, Labinot Haliti and Sean Rooney up front in a 4-3-3 formation that seemed to trouble the Fury.
Bridges had the first chance on goal in the 15th minute when the Fury defence misjudged a long ball and the Englishmen found himself in space on the left side of the field. He took the ball goalward but just slid his shot across the face.
Rooney had claims for a penalty denied in the 22nd minute when he was brought down by Rostyn Griffiths in the box after a sizzling run down the left flank, while the Fury were unsuccessful with appeals for a handball by Jets defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley inside his area just moments later.
Haliti then headed a Fabio Vignaroli swinging 30-metre free kick over the crossbar before Fury goalkeeper Henderson did well to smother a shot by Matt Thompson after another impressive run by Rooney.
North Queensland had its first chance in the 34th minute when Jeremy Brockie slipped down the left wing before centering the ball for the Jets defence to clear as far as Osama Malik on the edge of the area. But he sprayed his shot wide of the target.
The Jets continued to press and only great work from Henderson prevented the home side going ahead. The Fury custodian did well to parry an angled shot from Haliti following good lead-up work by Jin-Hyung Song and Bridges before saving a certain goal with his legs after Haliti broke into the area from a long-ball.
Henderson then dived on a strong 20-metre strike from Thompson to send the teams to the break locked at 0-0.
Newcastle went close again at the start of the second half. Thompson found space only to see his shot parried by Henderson with Rooney’s follow-up also blocked by the Fury defence.
Daniel McBreen headed a David Williams cross inches over the crossbar as the Fury attacked on the counter, while Rooney should have scored when he failed to get anything on a dangerous cross from Song.
Newcastle eventually profited from their dominance when Thompson slotted home in the 55th minute. Haliti found Bridges wide on the left wing. He brought the ball into the area before sliding a lovely low cross into Thompson to poke home from three metres.
Vignaroli then sent a vicious volley narrowly over the bar before Henderson saved a Rooney strike from point-blank range as the home side searched in vain for their second.
The Fury defence somehow managed to scramble the ball off the line as the Jets pressed yet again but the pressure eventually told as a bullocking run from Bridges earned a penalty five minutes from full-time as he was pulled down by the Fury defence.
The Englishman calmly converted from the spot to hand Newcastle its fourth win of the season while the Fury was brought back to earth after an impressive run of matches.
A relieved Newcastle coach Branko Culina was pleased with his side’s maturity to eventually convert their host of chances and score a crucial home victory.
“I said to the boys at half-time, ‘lets just be patient and let’s not lose our head’. There was always a chance that we would create something and thankfully we did.”
Newcastle Jets 2 (Thompson 55, Bridges 85p)
North Queensland Fury 0
Crowd 6,271 at EnergyAustralia Stadium.
