The Newcastle Jets have put their faith in two Novocastrians to guide the side out of their pre-season turmoil and push the side towards an A-League finals berth.
The club announced on Friday afternoon that Mark Jones will take the reins of the side as the team’s head coach, with fellow local Clayton Zane named as his assistant.
Both men have a history at the Jets. Jones, who was previously Adelaide United’s W-League and National Premier League head coach, was part of Newcastle’s coaching staff as an assistant when the Jets took home the A-League championship in 2008, while Zane has also been an assistant, as well as an interim boss and W-League head coach.
The Jets had found themselves in a tumultuous position during the preseason, with former manager Scott Miller sacked earlier this month and former assistant Luciano Trani leaving the club just a day later.
However, the hirings of Jones and Zane will hopefully provide the Jets with some much-needed stability ahead of their A-League season opener at home against Adelaide United on October 9.
“It’s a proud day for me to be appointed head coach of Newcastle Jets, my hometown club,” Jones said
“It is no secret that this is a position that I have long coveted, and to realise my ambition of becoming a head coach in the city I love is a dream come true.”
“But now the hard work begins. The club has assembled a competitive and balanced squad brimming with local talent, A-League experience and international know-how for the Hyundai A-League 2016/17 season, and I am personally excited to work with each and every member of the squad.”
“While it’s true that there’s not long until the new season commences, the work that has been done in preparing the squad has been good and I believe that we can kick-off the new campaign in a very competitive fashion.”
“I will leave no stone unturned in making my tenure at the helm of the Newcastle Jets a successful one for our members.”
Zane will take charge of the Jets for their pre-season match against the Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday, with Jones set to watch from the stands.
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