Two of the A-League’s most hated rivals go head-to-head at Hunter Stadium this afternoon when the Newcastle Jets host Central Coast Mariners in the F3 Derby. We’ll have live scores from 5.30pm AEDT.
Since Nik Mrdja broke Andrew Durante’s leg in a preseason game back in 2005, there’s been no love lost between these two.
Newcastle and Central Coast have met 26 times, with the Mariners winning nine, the Jets eight, and the spoils shared nine times. The most memorable of these occasions was the 2007/08 A-League Grand Final, when a Mark Bridge goal gave the Jets a 1-0 victory.
The Mariners come into this one as slight favourites having had the better start to this season, with a goalless draw to open their campaign before a typically professional 1-0 win in a tight contest against Perth last Sunday.
The Jets started with a 0-2 abomination at home to Adelaide, but turned their fortunes around somewhat last Saturday night with a 3-2 win over NSW rivals Sydney FC.
Despite the 5.30pm AEDT kickoff warm conditions are expected in Newcastle and this could prove a telling factor, particularly for Gary van Egmond’s young side.
Form generally gets thrown out the window in derbies, and this one is no different.
Graham Arnold’s side will head north up the F3 expecting a result but in front of a parochial home crowd, the Jets might send them home empty-handed.
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