Newcastle Jets stole a dramatic late point in a 2-2 draw against Perth Glory on Saturday evening, with Trent Buhagiar’s 97th-minute equaliser preventing Perth from breaking a 14-month wait for a win on the road.
Glory came from one goal down to lead 2-1 in the second-half, but conceded in the final minute of additional time as the Jets forced the visiting side to settle for a point in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Perth’s last win outside of Western Australia came in October, 2022; 11 defeats and three draws away from home followed that result and the club finally looked set to break that hoodoo before Buhagiar’s close-range finish at the death.
Apostolos Stamatelopoulos opened the scoring for Newcastle, then Adam Taggart and Stefan Colakovski turned the tide as Glory took a 2-1 lead. Jets fullback Lucas Mauragis was lively for the home side and provided the assist for the equaliser in the 97th minute.
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The Jets had the best of the first-half chances, beginning with a Mauragis cross off the left wing that Glory defender Darryl Lachman headed toward his own goal, drawing a save out of teammate Cameron Cook.
Reno Piscopo showed neat footwork to open up space to strike from range, flashing a low shot into the side netting as the Jets continued to threaten.
The hosts broke the deadlock after 25 minutes when Thomas Aquilina earned his side a penalty. Mark Beevers was the culprit for Perth, fouling Aquilina in the box. Stamatelopoulos stepped up to convert the spot kick, burying his shot into the bottom-left corner to take his individual tally up to seven goals for the season.
The Jets were denied a near-certain second in the 34th minute when Stamatelopoulos fired past Glory keeper Cook from a tight angle – but Johnny Koutroumbis got back on the line, and somehow sent the ball over the crossbar with a reactionary flick off the back of his heel.
Glory failed to generate any consistent pressure on Newcastle’s defence through the first half, with a meek attempt from a long way out by Koutroumbis the visitors’ first shot on goal in the 37th minute. Colakovski had an opening inside the box soon after, but an expert challenge from Jets defender Phillip Cancar quelled the danger.
Glory fans endured a first half bereft of chances – but were treated to an equaliser just two minutes into the second stanza.
The run from Luke Ivanovic down the right wing was the catalyst, with the young winger shrugging off multiple challengers before cutting the ball back for Taggart to belt home the first-time finish.
Just ten minutes later, Glory had the lead – and it was an absolute gift for Colakovski. Clayton Taylor’s attempt to pass the ball across Newcastle’s defence was cut off by the Glory forward who drove toward the edge of the box, and rattled a strike over the head of Ryan Scott and into the back of the net.
The Jets keeper got a glove on the ball but failed to prevent the visitors taking a 2-1 lead.
In the 64th minute, Taggart had the ball in the back of the net for a second time, and Perth looked set to sail into a commanding lead – but the offside flag was raised, with the Glory striker venturing well offside before receiving a through ball in behind Newcastle’s defence.
Stamatelopoulos then put a glorious chance to equalise wide of the mark. The in-form marksman had drifted to the back post and second-half substitute Archie Goodwin’s flick-on header fell invitingly for a first-time shot – and with the goal at his mercy, Stamatelopoulos couldn’t hit the target.
The Jets continued to probe for an equaliser and eventually broke through, with Mauragis picking out Buhagiar for a close-range finish in the 97th minute to earn a point for the Jets.
What they said
Perth Glory defender Aleksandar Šušnjar has urged his side to “pour their hearts” into every game moving forward as the last-placed side in the Isuzu UTE A-League look for inspiration to take through the festive period and into 2024.
“It’s unbelievable… (97th) minute again, it’s very disappointing,” he told Paramount+ after the 2-2 draw with the Jets.
“There was a lot said in the changerooms (at half-time). We had to pull our socks up, come out here, give 100%.
“Look at us, we’re at the bottom of the table. We’ve got to pour our hearts out for the whole 90. That’s what we did in the second half, but to concede like that, it’s very disappointing.
“The only way is up. I think we do have a good team. Everyone’s behind us, I believe we can turn it around and start heading up.”
Jets head coach Rob Stanton, meanwhile, had a mixed reaction to his side’s performance at home on Saturday. After an impressive win over then-league leaders Wellington Phoenix in Round 7, Stanton hoped to see his side build on that statement result against Glory at home.
In the end they escaped with a point, with Stanton lamenting Newcastle’s start to the second half, in which they conceded twice in eight minutes to cough up their one-goal half-time lead.
But Stanton’s disappointment in his team’s sluggish start to the second half was matched by his happiness at the response.
“There’s heaps of belief,” Stanton told Paramount+.
“The first day I arrived when I saw them, assembled the squad and saw them training and playing, I knew there was huge potential to grow this team. I think I’m not really going to see it until the end of the season, because it’s little increments every week.
“You learn lessons, you learn form that and you grow. Last week we were exceptional. This week I thought we started very similar, and then back to our old ways.
“You need to accumulate exposure and experience, being in situations where we didn’t manage those first ten minutes and we learned a really hard lesson. But in saying that, we’ve shown character to come back.
“I think at the back end of the season you’re going to see the best of us. I think we can compete with anybody on our day. I think the competition’s wide open.”
What it means
The Jets have now gone two games without defeat and sit eighth on the Isuzu UTE A-League table, within just one point of Adelaide United in sixth. The Jets are showing impressive signs of late and will relish the opportunity to take on the Reds on the road in Round 9.
For Perth, Western United’s win over Brisbane Roar on Friday night, coupled with their 2-2 draw with the Jets on Saturday, has resulted in the Western Australian outfit dropping to the foot of the table.
Alen Stajcic’s side return home to face Macarthur FC in Round 9, and should the Bulls beat Wellington on Monday night, it will be the battle between first and last on the Isuzu UTE A-League table.
