Newcastle Jets coach Gary van Egmond has said his side intends to ‘have a real go’ against Melbourne Victory in their Round 16 Hyundai A-League clash at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Friday night.
With the Jets sitting 10 points out of the top four and all but unable to make this year’s finals, van Egmond indicated his side will be making life as difficult as possible for other teams and trying to find some winning momentum as they look towards next year’s Asian Champions League.
“We have got to go out and have a real go at them and that is what we intend to do,” van Egmond said of Friday night’s clash against the Victory.
“They are on the back of two losses, which is very un-Melbourne like, as we are on the back of two losses, so they are going to be definitely up for the game, as we are.”
“We are looking forward to playing them. The football we have been playing has been good and we just need to take our chances in the final third. They have a number of attacking options but we are not over concerned to the detriment of how they play.”
The Jets coach said he is not tempted to take the opportunity of experimenting too much with his line-up, saying the key need for the team is to find some stability.
“I think if you experiment too much with such a young group of players they can become a little bit disorientated as to what their role is,” van Egmond said.
“You have got to ensure you have got some stability in regards to the group that is playing.”
“We need to take momentum out of the A-League and into the Champions League. The best effect you can have is winning game sand the performances in those games and that is what we are going to be trying to take out of these last six games.”
The Jets will be without young playmaker James Holland, who is on trial with Dutch club AZ Alkmaar, and Jobe Wheelhouse, who is serving a one-match suspension, which opens the door for young striker Sean Rooney, who has been signed as an injury replacement for Jason Naidovski.
However, van Egmond is hesitant to rush the talented 19-year-old into the fray too soon.
“It is bad luck for Jason but good luck for Sean,” said van Egmond. “We feel bad for Jason at this moment it is his second recon on the same knee so we need to help him through his rehab his best mate in Marko (Jesic) has gone through the same thing so he will be great assistance.”
“In the meantime, Sean is just getting his confidence and getting his bearing s in the new surroundings and learning what his role is on and off the ball.
“You don’t want to rush him in too early it is another young boy and you want to give him the best chance of success and not let his confidence come down. Initially, we will blood him sparingly and he will start on the bench this weekend and we will see when we bring him on depending on how the game goes.”
“But he is definitely a player with promise – we played a trial match the other day and he put in a couple of gaols so he knows where the back of the net is.”
