Newcastle Jets young gun Adam Taggart says he is capable of forming a deadly combination with fellow striker Emile Heskey.
Their partnership failed to fire against Sydney FC but Newcastle Jets young gun Adam Taggart says he is capable of forming a deadly combination with fellow striker Emile Heskey.
Taggart, one of the A-League’s hottest properties, and a fit-again Heskey were under the spotlight at Allianz Stadium last Saturday after Jets coach Gary van Egmond opted for a two-man front pairing.
The duo struggled to link-up throughout the 2-0 defeat to Sydney, though van Egmond conceded the two players needed time to gel.
And Taggart, who was recently nominated for NAB’s Young Footballer of the Year award after his run of six goals in four games, echoed his coach’s comments, claiming it is only a matter of time before Newcastle reap the rewards of his partnership with the former England international.
“Obviously it’s going to take some time because he’s just coming back and I haven’t been able to play with him for a long time,” the 20-year-old said.
“He’s a great player and he brings a whole different game to the team and we’ve got to be able to utilise that a bit better.
“As the weeks go on it’s obviously going to come together more as a whole team and the partnership between me and Emile will get better.
“I think there’s only good to come.”
Saturday’s loss to Frank Farina’s men, Newcastle’s second of the season against the Sky Blues, spelled the end of their six-game unbeaten streak, which included wins over Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Heart.
And while the Jets were disappointed by the result, Taggart and his team-mates have quickly switched their attention to Sunday’s opponents Melbourne Victory, who will be out to extend their winning run against the Newcastle outfit to three games.
“It wasn’t the best result but it’s something that we’ve put behind us now,” Taggart said.
“Sydney obviously took their couple of chances and were able to keep the lead, we still played well and probably had the most chances.
“It’s not really affected us too much, we’ve tried to pick ourselves back up as soon as the game finished and started looking towards this week.
Taggart added: “Looking on our recent performances we’ve lost two games the whole season, the rest we’ve been unbeaten and put in some really good performances.
“For us we’re looking at all the positives and how we’ve been performing in the recent month or so, we’re looking to carry that confidence into the game.”
