The Newcastle Jets have reclaimed a spot in the top four on the National Youth League ladder with a solid 3-0 win over the Australian Institute of Sport at Adamstown Oval on Saturday.
A brace to Kaz Patafta and a goal to newly signed import Tomislav Misura helped the Jets overcome a spirited AIS in a hard-fought contest in Newcastle.
The win moves the Jets to 17 points alongside Perth Glory in third place, while the AIS are in fifth on 16 points with the rest of the round still to play.
The game started in perfect conditions at Adamstown Oval with both sides full of running and creating half-chances from the edge of the area in the opening spell before Newcastle’s Kyle Ewart had the first real chance on goal in the 11th minute.
The talented midfielder produced a great solo effort to weave through the middle of the defence and into the penalty area where he unleashed a powerful left foot shot only to see AIS goalkeeper Aaron Lennox bravely parry away the effort from close range.
The AIS showed some good enterprise of their own in attack and went close to opening the scoring in the 18th minute when striker Jake Barker-Daish created space for himself on the edge of the box but sent his low shot just wide of the left post.
The visitors kept applying the pressure and were almost rewarded when Anthony Proia fired an on-target shot from 18 yards out, but Newcastle goalkeeper Jack Duncan produced a fine diving save to maintain the status quo.
The home side eventually broke the deadlock just three minutes before half-time when Ewart produced another fine weaving run down the right flank to take the ball into the area. Lennox came out to smother his run but the ball squirted free where Jets striker Zhang Shou laid it back for Patafta to slam the ball into the back of the net from 20 metres out and give his side a 1-0 lead at the break.
The Jets extended the advantage just three minutes into the second half when Slovenian import Misura pounced on a stray back pass by the AIS defence. The big striker took the ball into the area before calmly slotting it into the corner to give the Jets a 2-0 lead.
Newcastle almost added a third midway through the second half when Mario Simic sent a lovely cross from the left wing where substitute Fabian Iacovelli headed just over the crossbar at the near post.
The AIS went close to pulling one back in the 75th minute mark when substitute Jesse Makarounas had his shot deflected wide. From the ensuing corner Ryan Edwards had his shot cleared off the line by the Jets defence.
Newcastle’s James Virgili should have sealed the match in the 80th minute when he was gifted the ball inside the area but he sent his shot over the crossbar.
The Jets eventually wrapped up the match when Patafta posted his second just three minutes before full-time. The classy midfielder showed plenty of poise to weave his way through a host of defenders in the box before coolly stroking the ball into the corner of the net to help his side to their fifth win of the season.
Newcastle Jets 3 (Patafta 42, 87, Misura 48)
AIS 0
Adamstown Oval, Newcastle
