Two goals from Mate Dugandzic has steered Melbourne Heart to a 3-1 win over the Newcastle Jets and ended the A-League’s longest winless run.
When defender Taylor Regan scored from Newcastle’s first real chance of the match, it seemed like the same old story for Melbourne Heart, winless since last February.
Instead, the Heart completed a fairytale finish in their 100th game with a victory to snap a 19-match winless streak going way back to a 3-1 triumph over Sydney FC last season.
First, Iain Ramsay volleyed past Mark Birighitti with help from a Kew Jaliens deflection, then Dugandzic buried a close-range header to give the Heart a lead they never gave up.
It was sweet relief for the Heart, who like so many times during their run had started strongest, but this time turned their advantage into a lead.
Playing in the cool change on the back of Melbourne’s heatwave, the Heart showed more attacking intent but were restricted to shots outside the box early.
After six minutes, Ramsay’s curling shot was neatly saved by Birighitti, with the resulting corner headed narrowly over by Patrick Gerhardt.
A minute later Harry Kewell, leading the Heart forward in the absence of the dropped Michael Mifsud, called Birighitti into action again with a swerving shot from outside the box.
Despite the absence of any attacking threat from the Jets, the Heart failed to fashion chances on their own pitch and were punished on 37 minutes.
A distracting run from Emile Heskey left Regan alone at the back post and he headed in Craig Goodwin’s corner.
Six minutes later, the Heart’s reply came from a hopeful long ball headed down by Kewell to the waiting Ramsay.
His volley deflected firmly off the lunging Jaliens to leave Birighitti no chance.
And the Jets struck again in first-half added time with Aziz Behich’s pinpoint cross finding Dugandzic unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box.
The Jets showed more intent after the break, with substitute James Brown twice testing Andrew Redmayne.
In the 60th minute, Heart fans saved a huge cheer for the first appearance of giant marquee Orlando Engelaar, who headed wide from a corner straight away.
And shortly after, Dugandzic raced onto Ramsay’s intelligent through-ball to slot his second.
Heart coach John van’t Schip said was proud of his team coming back from a deficit to win.
“After all the hard work and all the games they didn’t win, today they proved it’s a team that can win,” he said.
“That’s the most important thing for them, for the fans, for the club.”
Opposite number Gary van Egmond didn’t mix his words describing the Jets’ performance.
“I thought it was arguably our worst (performance). A good reality check,” he said.
supernintendochalmers
Guest
Stavros = cos789!
EDsta
Guest
Should still run the article Kasey and throw in the GWS Giants as well as other sporting teams that fit the bill. Would be a good read!
Stavros
Guest
How is asking about the attendance part of an AFL agenda. I was just merely wondering how many Heart supporters got to see them finally win a game.
Australian Rules
Guest
Kinda Iike yours with GWS hey?
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
Bosnich misread the figures or he's been misquoted. There's a thread on 442 that has been tracking the ratings, and Fox ratings alone are down on last year. Include SBS and it's about an 8% increase overall.
Allan
Guest
Because Stavros is AFL, nothing more - every comment of his has an AFL agenda attached.
Allan
Guest
Is this list based upon it being AFL off season otherwise GWS giants a clear winner ?
fadida
Guest
So many comments, and somehow GVE had avoided criticism. A truly woeful performance from the Jets. Yet again he shows 1)the inability to pick the right team 2)the inability to get any sort of cohesion in his front 3 3) the inability to adjust successfully to going behind Why oh why does he insist on playing Galloway on the left when Goodwin, despite lacking confidence is a better option. His blind spot to fullbacks is telling. Right footers on the left makes them too narrow. Fullbacks never push high enough, which means no support or overlaps to wide attackers. The wide attackers never link with the 9. They stay wide, receive the ball and then pass it backwards. There are no angled runs off the 9, and no support for the 9 from the midfied. The front 3 are all isolated due to a coach who just doesn't get the system he's trying to play. Ball movement is s.l.o.wwww It will be all downhill for the Jets from here. They've been poor most of the season but this was another new low GVE OUT!
fadida
Guest
YAWN! SMH were a big club 15 years ago. They have been in administration in recent years, and would kill to have the crowds Heart have (despite a 20 game non-winning streak with unappealing football), As the Soup Nazi would say, NEXT!
Kasey
Guest
The Ashes took a lot of this counties sports eyeballs and now the Aus Open. As Ben says, how are our ratings tracking compared to this time last year? Until last night I was ready to pen an article asking the question who is the worst Professional Sports team in the country at the moment?? The Melbourne Heart or the Sydney Thunder?? It seems many were happy to heap on the red and whites from Melbourne at the same time as the Thunder were sucking it up big-time in the BBL. Crowds are up on this time last year(which had the ADP-boost!) and so are memberships, ratings are important, but the 2 metrics(crowds & memberships) I mention are still important indicators that the A-League is growing and solidly year after year.
Clayts
Guest
Sorry to drag the inevitable debate about crowd figures in respnse to an article about the football back to the football, but I'm watching the replay now and this referee is really second rate. How Kantarovski wasn't booked for dragging Dugandzic back when he was in one goal is probably the worst decision of the year.
Clayts
Guest
Wow. I reckon you're the first person to ever suggest that on this site
Passionate_Aussie
Roar Rookie
AZ, I didn't expect massive spikes in interest to be maintained but when SBS2 are attracting the ratings they are, and after the start they had, it's very disheartening.
AZ_RBB
Guest
The jump from the 11/12 season to 12/13 gave people the impression that the league should be improving in similar fashion every season. That was never going to happen. 4 teams are averaging over 15k this season. The most in A League history, Two seasons ago there was only 1.
Passionate_Aussie
Roar Rookie
You do realise they already have dropped Hellas from the name, don't you? That and I think enough time has passed for everyone to realise Heart are going nowhere despite their current level of support.
MichaelJ
Guest
It's good to see but South Melbourne Hellas should have been the second Melbourne team. They have a big supporter base and long tradition, even if they have to drop the 'Hellas' from the name.
Passionate_Aussie
Roar Rookie
I'm sorry jack but you're wrong. http://www.sportal.com.au/football/a-league/mark-bosnich-a-league-on-the-rise-not-dwindling/f2wi6kz143rq136tsye55g6aw
Midfielder
Guest
Just on the ratings... FFA do need a decent kick up the ?????? MH running last and have never been a huge rating team... Jets also not a great rating team... FFA have four teams that rate well ... SFC, MV, WSW & Roar.... Everyone needs to look both at the night ie Saturday has always been the best ratings night...and the matches ....
Jack Russell
Roar Guru
The 8% figure refers to the total audience increase including SBS. The Fox Sports figures are actually down on last year - from an average of 83k per game to the low 70's.
Passionate_Aussie
Roar Rookie
Yeah I don't get that Az, so many people do that but it's sad, really. They don't talk about the team or sport until a big event happens and then when it does... Everyone was there!