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Merrick keeps Jets' expectations in check

Ernie Merrick is keeping his and the Newcastle Jets' feet on the ground. (AAP Image/Theron Kirkman)
Roar Guru
3rd January, 2018
74

Ernie Merrick is playing down Newcastle’s unlikely A-League title credentials despite very nearly dismantling Sydney FC.

A youthful Jets side offered up a thrilling blueprint of how to beat the reigning champions on their own turf on Wednesday, disrupting Sydney’s game and very nearly leaving Allianz Stadium with all three points.

Had Bobo not scored a 2-2 equaliser in the 87th minute, last season’s wooden-spooners would have closed the gap between themselves and the leaders back to five points.

An eight-point deficit remains but the Jets, despite missing more than half their regular starters, are closer to the far more seasoned Sky Blues on some fronts than perhaps Graham Arnold would like to admit.

Halfway through the season, second-placed Newcastle have eight wins to Sydney’s 11 and scored 32 goals to Sydney’s 35.

Third-placed Melbourne Victory have the next-highest goal count with 18 and sit eight points adrift, albeit with a game in hand.

But Merrick was still not willing to say his side were Sydney’s closest title challengers.

“I wouldn’t jump that far ahead,” Merrick said.

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“I’m just pretty happy to come here and get a point because they’re a good team.

“We’ll be in the finals, and we’ll be aiming to get to our best football in the finals, get our best team out, and have a little bit more depth.

“If you’d have said to me pre-season that 13 games in it’d be one and two in a big clash in Sydney and we’d be number two, and we’d scored 30 goals, I’d have taken that.

“I didn’t think we’d do it, but we’ve done it. And we’ve done it without (Ronny) Vargas and (Roy) O’Donovan.”

Merrick predicted he had six first-team players to slot back in, including new signings Riley McGree and Argentine Patricio Rodriguez.

Rodriguez arrived in Newcastle on Wednesday and, pending a medical on Thursday, will be available to play next Tuesday at home to Central Coast.

Part of the Jets’ ability to defy expectations this season has been their unwillingness to park the bus in the face of daunting challenges, even when their coach himself did not expect a result.

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“With that many inexperienced players in the team against a formidable opponent away from home, I honestly thought we wouldn’t win the game,” Merrick said.

“My attitude was ‘we’ve lost the game anyway, so let’s see if we can score a few goals and just make it a little bit difficult for them, and at the same time learn to play our game plan under pressure’.

“But don’t become a defensive unit that just attacks occasionally … I refuse to go back to a defensive-type set-up.”

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