Newcastle defender Mark Natta says his side don’t fear the threat of Garang Kuol as the Jets seek to claim bragging rights over Central Coast Mariners in the F3 Derby.
The Mariners host the Jets for the second time in 10 days with Wednesday’s meeting a rearranged fixture from when their season-opener was postponed due to intense rain.
Newcastle won the game less than a fortnight ago, triumphing 2-1 as the Mariners’ Socceroos trio of Jason Cummings, goalkeeper Danny Vukovic and wunderkid Kuol made their A-League Men returns.
The Jets were unable to back up that result and following last Friday’s 1-0 loss to Brisbane Roar have just one win in their last five.
And now they must deal with the threat of Kuol, who played a key role in his first ALM match last Saturday as the Mariners sealed a come-from-behind win over Sydney FC on Saturday.
“Kuol’s an explosive player and we’ll come prepared for that,” Natta said.
“They play a very attacking brand of football and I think if we can be compact and defend well and we win the ball that gives us a chance to hit them on the counter attack.
“I think our defensive line will be fine with him; that’s our job and there’s nothing to be scared of.”
Wednesday’s trip to Gosford represents a rare chance for Arthur Papas’ side to hold the upper hand in the derby.
Newcastle haven’t defeated the Central Coast twice in the same season since the 2018-19 campaign and they will be able to lift the recently-introduced F3 Derby trophy – which is formed from a concrete block of the highway – if they beat the Mariners.
“We’re looking forward to getting back on the pitch and hopefully repeating what we did last time against the Mariners,” said attacker Trent Buhagiar.
“I know we’re only seven games in but the middle pack of the table is really tight.
“So I think if we win this game, we can maybe get up to fourth or third.
“It’s a really important month or so for us and hopefully we can get maximum points.”
MATCH DETAILS
Central Coast Mariners v Newcastle Jets
Wendesday, December 21
Kick-off: 7.00pm AEDT
Broadcast: Paramount+
MATCH CENTRE | BUY TICKETS | HOW TO WATCH