The Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory have played out a 0-0 draw in their National Youth League match at Adamstown Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory have played out a 0-0 draw in their National Youth League match at Adamstown Oval on Saturday afternoon.
Perth dominated the first half with a number of strong chances created by speedy play on the wings through Sahr Musa and Tommy Amphlett, but Jets goalkeeper Robbie Kolac produced a number of good saves to keep his side in the match.
The Jets had the best opportunity to win the game when midfielder Jesse Pinto hit the post with a lobbed shot 10 minutes into the second half, while Newcastle substitute Blake Green sent a volley from 20 metres out went just over the bar in the dying seconds of the match.
The draw maintains Newcastle’s unbeaten record at home this season and leaves them on eight points, level with Perth in fourth and third place respectively.
The Round 7 fixture started in hot sunny conditions and it was the visitors who went close to opening the scoring inside the first 10 minutes.
A quick crossfield switch from defender Storm Roux put forward Sahr Musa into open space on the left wing and he unleashed a looping volley from just outside the area that flew narrowly over the crossbar in just the third minute.
Four minutes later a clever Glory free-kick just outside the area found Andre Jukic at the near post but he put his right-foot shot into the side the netting under pressure.
The visitors kept up the pressure with Musa causing the Jets defence plenty of headaches with his pace down the left wing and dangerous crosses but Kolac and central defender Taylor Regan showed good positional play to extinguish the Glory raids.
Perth had the best chance of the half in the 37th minute when a lovely through ball from Brandon O-Neill put Amphlett through on goal but Kolac produced a fine smothering save to send the teams to the half-time break locked at 0-0.
Newcastle finally had their first clear shot on goal in the 55th minute and it almost proved to be the opener.
Jets defender Jon Griffiths swung a dangerous free-kick from 40 metres out into the penalty area where Perth goalkeeper Alex Pearson came out to punch the ball clear but he only got it as far as Jesse Pinto 25 metres out.
The Newcastle midfielder tried to lob the ball over Pearson into the empty net but the shot bounced off the right post and the Perth defence was able to scramble the ball to safety.
Moments later Perth had their first chance of the second half when Amphlett fired a lovely cross into the six-yard box where Jukic met it with a clean header only to see his on-target shot parried over the crossbar by Kolac.
Newcastle went close again in the 63rd minute when Gavin Forbes met a Pinto-s low corner at the tip of the six-yard box but the big forward slammed his volley into the side netting.
Both sides made a number of changes around the 65th minute mark. The home side brought on Michael Finlayson and Blake Green for Fabian Iacovelli and Steven Velseki respectively, while Perth replaced Musa, Amphlett and Brandon O-Neill with Billy Quinncroft, Harry O-Brien and Luke Johnston.
The loss of Musa and Amphlett seemed to stifle the Glory attack with the Jets defence able to cut down the penetration on the flanks and minimise the drive forward through the midfield.
Both sides had late half-chances. Pinto fired over the bar from long range, while Cameron Edwards curled a shot from 20 metres just wide of the far post.
It was Newcastle who almost pinched all the points right on the stroke of full-time in almost identical circumstances to Pinto-s early near miss.
Griffiths fired a free-kick in from 40 metres out into the penalty area, the Perth defence cleared the ball to just outside the area where substitute Blake Green volleyed a shot that sailed inches over the crossbar.
Newcastle Jets 0
Perth Glory 0
