Newcastle Jets down Roar to go top four

A dramatic five-minute surge from Newcastle shortly after halftime further boosted their A-League title credentials while denting Brisbane’s finals aspirations in a 2-0 win at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

After a dour first half where neither side looked like scoring, the Jets, led by star forward Michael Bridges, turned the match on its head after the break with a blistering period featuring two goals in five minutes.

Captain Matt Thompson broke the deadlock in style in the 50th minute.

Bridges set up the goal with a clever back-heel which cut the Roar defence open, putting Thompson through who fired the visitors ahead.

The Jets doubled their advantage in the 55th minute after Bridges got one of his own from the spot.

The penalty was rightly awarded after young Roar defender Matt Mundy handballed when under pressure in a one-on-one situation with Thompson.

That all but put the match beyond Brisbane’s reach.

The Roar tried hard from there and they controlled possession but lacked creativity in the attacking zone to get back into the contest.

The win moves the Jets back into fourth spot, and after six wins in their past eight matches they continue to shape as true title contenders.

For the Roar, their third straight loss and their seventh home defeat of the season leaves their finals hopes hanging precariously.

They do sit only one-point behind sixth-placed Perth, but the Glory holds a game in hand.

And of Brisbane’s final four matches, three are away and their home fixture is against league-leaders Sydney.

Brisbane’s best chance of the match came in the 52nd minute when Reinaldo fired over the bar after pouncing on a misdirected back-pass and getting one-on-one with the keeper.

The big Brazilian striker also had a powerful header tipped over the bar from a corner late in the contest.

The creativity and direction of departed veterans Charlie Miller and Craig Moore were again sorely missed.
Moore’s leadership and class was again missed in defence with the Roar’s woes at the back continuing, having now conceded 10 goals in their past three games.

Whiz-kid Tommy Oar was brought on a second-half substitute and provided the Roar with immediate flair, with his nippy runs down and whipping crossed from the left causing the Jets some problems.

Brisbane coach Ange Postecoglou admits his struggling side is in a “rut”, but hasn’t written off the season yet and pleaded for patience from fans.

“It’s disappointing,” Postecoglou said. “We had a good first half, controlled things, but couldn’t get anything out of it.

“Then they scored and we dropped our heads.

“Our confidence is low and ultimately that’s where we are at. And I take responsibility for that.

“I’m taking this club in a certain direction and it’s going to take a while for it to work.

“I want this club to be judged in six months time when we will be bigger and better than ever.

“But in saying that, we haven’t given up on this season.”

After six wins in eight matches, Newcastle coach Branko Culina sent a warning to his fellow top-four rivals that his side “has a lot of improvement left in them”.

“A lot of players can play better,” Culina said. “Our defence certainly can improve as we’ve conceded way too many goals lately.

“With the finals around the corner, I am not worried that we’ve peaked too early, I actually think we can get better.”

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