Glory beat Jets 3-2 in A-League thriller

Emile Heskey’s goal-scoring run came to a halt as Perth Glory secured a pulsating 3-2 A-League victory over Newcastle Jets at nib Stadium on Saturday night.

Heskey entered the match in red-hot form after scoring four goals in his previous three matches, with the Jets winning each of those.

The former Liverpool star was barely sighted in the first half as goals to Steve McGarry and Nick Ward gave Perth a 2-1 lead at the break, the Jets’ lone goal coming courtesy of Tiago Calvano.

A clever header from Heskey in the 73rd minute gifted a goal to Josh Mitchell, but Glory substitute Chris Harold ensured the home side would take all three points when he slammed home the winner from close range in the 85th minute.

Glory’s defence was caught napping in the sixth minute when former Perth midfielder Mitchell headed a dangerous ball across goal and Calvano kneed the ball into the back of the net.

But the home side levelled in the 11th minute when McGarry nailed a perfectly-timed low drive from 26 metres out.

Ward was causing Newcastle’s defence plenty of problems and the Glory midfielder was on hand to poke home a crucial goal in the 38th minute after Jets goalkeeper Mark Birighitti palmed away Dean Heffernan’s goalward-bound header.

The home side should have entered the half-time break with a 3-1 lead, but Scott Jamieson’s goal on the stroke of half-time was controversially ruled offside.

Heskey shot to life in the second half, with his hard-fought header to the feet of Mitchell helping the Jets get back on level terms.

But former Gold Coast midfielder Harold, who went on in the 76th minute, found himself in the right place at the right time when Newcastle failed to clear a corner.

Harold, stationed at the far post, made no mistake with the finish, with his right-foot strike finding its way through a number of bodies to send the 9293 crowd into raptures.