Newcastle coach Gary van Egmond has expressed his disappointment after his side allowed a 10-man Perth outfit to force a 1-1 draw at Ausgrid Stadium on Saturday.
Newcastle coach Gary van Egmond has expressed his disappointment after his side allowed a 10-man Perth outfit to force a 1-1 draw at Ausgrid Stadium on Saturday.
The Glory took the lead in the ninth minute courtesy of some strong work from striker Billy Mehmet, who wrestled his way in front of Jets defender Tiago Calvano to poke the ball home following an attacking Perth throw-in.
The home side worked their way back into the match before the game was turned on its head in the 33rd minute when Mehmet was shown a red card for what was deemed a reckless tackle on Calvano.
The Jets duly equalised via substitute striker Francis Jeffers in the 62nd minute but were unable to turn their man advantage into a win as Perth defended grimly and attacked cleverly on the counter.
“I think we panicked – we didn’t keep to game plan of what we wanted at half-time,” van Egmond said.
“We then started to play the ball around and we got some joy from that but we decided we wanted to go a bit too direct and it played into their hands quite easily.”
Asked if he thought his side should have claimed all three points van Egmond was succinct in his reply.
“They go down to 10 men and we should take full advantage of that,” he said.
“We had a lapse of concentration that allowed them their goal and onto the scoreboard and then they’d played counter, and they have a couple of quick boys up front, which can be dangerous when you are trying to press a bit higher up the park.
“I think it is great that we have come back from the game in Wellington to get something out of the match so that is a positive, the players worked hard for one another so that is a positive but if I am truthful and the group is truthful then we can play a lot better than that, and if we are going to be competitive this year, we have to play better than that.”
The other major factor for the Jets was the virtual cameo role of Jeffers, who came on after half-time to score the goal before being substituted after suffering an ankle injury.
“It was really unfortunate for Francis because it was an ideal game for him to come and he got on the scoresheet but unfortunately he has rolled his ankle,” van Egmond said.
“After that we had a couple of chances here and there but it wasn’t by design it was playing off the second ball, and I know that is part of the game but I think we can be better than that.”
