Who will earn the bragging rights, as the Sky Blues and the Jets go toe-to-toe in the New South Wales derby on Sunday?
Sydney FC v Newcastle Jets
Sunday 5th February, 5.00pm
Who will earn the bragging rights, as the Sky Blues and the Jets go toe-to-toe in the New South Wales derby on Sunday?
Two of the state’s footballing forces come together on Sunday afternoon, as Sydney FC and Newcastle Jets do battle for vital points in their bid for a top-six finish.
After a sticky spell of form, Sydney’s unbeaten streak stands at three matches. As they aim to cement a top-six spot, can they make it a fantastic four, or will Newcastle make the short journey home with a win which will boost their own hopes making the finals? Get down to Sydney Football Stadium and find out.
After a nine-day break which has allowed them to recharge their batteries, Sydney’s players will be geared up for this local battle and will go into the game in high spirits following a fine performance in the Big Blue in Melbourne on Australia Day.
The Sky Blues played some fine stuff at AAMI Park but somehow found themselves 2-0 behind to Victory at the break after a horror last couple of minutes of the first-half.
However, as they have done on a number of occasions in the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season, they showed incredible determination and belief to silence a boisterous home crowd with a second-half fightback.
After Bruno Cazarine made the most of some sloppy defending to reduce the arrears, former Victory defender Sebastian Ryall scored a dramatic last-minute equaliser.
It was his first ever Hyundai A-League goal and sparked scenes of wild celebration between the players and their travelling army of fans. The only downside to the draw was the loss of Brett Emerton to a hamstring injury on the half-hour mark.
The Cove will be hoping for a second home win on the spin for their side, after another come-from-behind performance a couple of weeks ago.
This time, they turned a 1-0 deficit into a victory, which was only their second in seven matches at Sydney Football Stadium this season; both of which have come against Gold Coast. Bruno Cazarine was again a goal hero, with a bullet header in the last minute.
He’ll be aiming to keep his rich vein of form going against a side that will be looking to produce a surprise away result in the same vein as last week’s cracking display in Queensland.
On Saturday, the Jets defied a second-half onslaught from Brisbane Roar to record their first away win of the season. Newcastle hadn’t won on the road in a year but seem to love going to Brisbane, where they have lost only one of their last ten visits.
After Ben Kantarovski’s 23rd minute goal, they put in a magnificent defensive display to keep the home side at bay. This performance and result will give them hope that they can do the same against a Sydney team that has struggled at home this campaign.
The Sky Blues have already beaten Newcastle once in the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season – where they once again picked up three points having been in a losing position – so they’ll be confident of doing the same on Sunday. Sydney Cove, make your voices heard and help them achieve the win that will keep the dream of silverware very much alive.
Get yourself along to this New South Wales showdown, be part of a fantastic derby atmosphere and cheer your team on to three points!
