Central Coast Take the Top

Brisbane Roar 1 – Central Coast Mariners 2
After a slow start to the season, Central Coast Mariners have now won five straight and are unbeaten in their last eight, taking over the top of the ladder with a 2-1 away defeat of Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium. Just 10,006 showed up to see the slumping Roar give up two first half goals, one from Mustafa Amini (pictured) in the sixth minute and the other from Pedj Bojić in first half injury time. Kofi Danning pulled one back for the struggling home side when his 83rd minute shot deflected off of Patrick Zwaanswijk. The third straight loss for Brisbane, after thirty-six unbeaten, is a bit of a shock to the A-League hierarchy, though it can be at least partially explained by injuries and absences of Matt Smith and Thomas Broich. The Mariners are now top with a game in hand.

Newcastle Jets 1 – Sydney FC 2
Sydney FC came from a goal down, scoring twice in the final half-hour to defeat F3 rivals Newcastle Jets 2-1 at Ausgrid Stadium. Jeremy Brockie got the opener for the Jets off the volley in the 25th minute. But a reshuffling for the Sky Blues when Brett Emerton was removed due to injury at half-time led to increased offensive production. Rhyan Grant was the replacement and his cross led directly to Sydney’s first goal, a Bruno Carazine effort in the 59th minute. The visitors got the match-winner in the 84th when a poor Jets clearance came to Pascal Bosschaart whose ball back into the box was headed in by Juho Mäkelä. All three points for Sydney take them to fourth place, only trailing Melbourne Heart on goal difference. Newcastle barely hang on to a finals position despite the home loss.

Perth Glory 1 – Melbourne Heart 2
A dramatic 87th minute goal from Mate Dugandžić saw Melbourne Heart to yet another win, this time at the expense of Perth Glory. The 2-1 win at the nib Stadium came after the teams traded goals in a three minute spell in the first half. Matt Thompson opened scoring for Heart in the 33rd minute but was quickly equalized by Billy Mehmet in the 35th. The score remained until an Aziz Behich shot was saved by Danny Vukovic but headed in by Dugandžić. Heart stay clear of Sydney on goal difference while the Glory remain outside of the finals positions, currently seventh.

10-Man Adelaide Held 0-0 By Newcastle

Adelaide United 0 – Newcastle Jets 0
Nigel Boogaard was sent off in the 65th minute for Adelaide United but the home side held on for a 0-0 draw with Newcastle Jets at Hindmarsh. In fact, the Reds nearly won the match when Fabian Barbiero scored in the 88th minute, but the flag was up and the scoreless draw confirmed only after Bruce Djite’s shot was expertly saved by stand-in goalkeeper Matthew Nash. Jeremy Brockie had a fine chance for the visitors in the first half but the Jets could not break through and win their first away game since January 8 (at North Queensland Fury). The draw did break Newcastle’s eight-game losing streak in away games, but they still have not beaten a club currently in the A-League since December 2010. The shared points taken the Jets back ahead of Melbourne Heart for fifth place while Adelaide inch ahead of Melbourne Victory for seventh.

Heart Finally Break Through

Melbourne Heart 3 – Newcastle Jets 0
Three second half goals finally gave Melbourne Heart the breakthrough they have so narrowly missed so far this season in a 3-0 defeat of Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park. Though less than 6000 turned up to watch the A-League’s last place side host the second place Jets, those who did manage to go were treated to an interesting and attacking match from both sides. Despite finishing the first half scoreless, bot sides had good looks at the goal, with the home side coming closest on more than one occasion. Yet it was a goal from Fred (pictured) that opened the match up for Heart as he calmly blasted a shot after substitute Eli Barbalj did the hard work in the box. Fred’s 66th minute goal was quickly followed by Mate Dugandžić doubling the advantage when he collected a disastrous back pass from Tarek Elrich and easily beat Ben Kennedy in the 73rd. The rout was confirmed in the 85th minute when Aziz Behich, one of the best players on the pitch all night, created a shot for himself from the left side of the box and wonderfully curled the ball past Kennedy. The win was the first of the season for Heart though it does extend their unbeaten streak to four games. Meanwhile, the loss is a disappointing one for the Jets as they continue to work their way into the season under new, old manager Gary van Egmond.

Central Coast Mariners 0 – Melbourne Victory 0
A scoreless draw saw Melbourne Victory pick up another clean sheet, this time behind teenaged goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas at Bluetongue in Gosford. Yet the Victory were also kept from scoring for the fourth time this season in their third 0-0 match in six weeks, this time by Matt Ryan. Thomas watched thankfully as Central Coast’s Daniel McBreen’s first half header hit both the crossbar and the post near the half-hour after Rodrigo Vargas had cleared an earlier shot off the line. Late on, both Adrian Leijer and Troy Hearfield had excellent chances go begging as neither side could figure out a way to score. The shared points keep both sides within the realm of finals football, but just.

Perth Glory 0 – Sydney FC 1
And Sydney FC climbed all the way to second place by taking three points from Perth Glory at the nib Stadium. Mark Bridge scored in first half injury time as the Sky Blues spoiled Perth’s 15th anniversary celebration as Nicky Carle contributed the winning assist, marking the third straight game where his touch has given points for Sydney. Goalkeeper Liam Reddy was back in top form as he kept the visitors ahead during a second half barrage including saves against Bas van den Brink, Liam Miller and Danny Vukovic. The Glory’s Adam Hughes smashed the crossbar while Travis Dodd, Shane Smeltz and Mile Sterjovski all came agonizingly close for the home side during a frantic second half. In the end, Perth remain on nine points, now having lost their last three games. Sydney, after a slow start, are second only to Brisbane Roar at the top of the ladder.

Nine-Man Victory Take First Points from Roar

Melbourne Victory 2 – Brisbane Roar 2
Though the 33-game unbeaten streak continues, Brisbane Roar dropped two points for the first time this season in an exciting and bizarre 2-2 draw with Melbourne Victory at the Etihad Stadium. Ante Čović was sent off in the first minute for taking out Besart Berisha on a breakaway in the box and Henrique scored the resulting penalty to give the visiting Roar an early advantage on the score sheet and numerically. But Archie Thompson scored a stunning equalizer in the 10th minute to give the Victory hope in a game that seemed lost. Amazingly, Thompson put the home side ahead with a very well taken goal in the 21st minute, providing a glimpse of a formula that might one day be used to defeat Brisbane. Yet Thomas Broich leveled terms just in the 27th with a low, hard free kick, providing the fourth and final goal before the half-hour. The Victory then lost defender Matt Foschini to a red card after a hard tackle on Broich ten minutes before half-time and were forced to continuously defend for the game’s final fifty-five minutes. Putting all nine players behind the ball, Melbourne managed to prevent Brisbane from scoring a third and somehow escaped with a draw and a point under truly strange circumstances. That point moves the Victory into fifth place while the Roar are now just four points clear of Newcastle Jets and Perth Glory atop the ladder.

Newcastle Jets 2 – Perth Glory 0
Indeed, Newcastle Jets moved into second place thanks to a quick first half brace from Jeremy Brockie at Ausgrid Stadium. The Jets got their first win in manager Gary van Egmond’s return as Brockie skillfully beat Perth’s defenders within ninety seconds in the 10th and 11th minutes. The All Whites striker scored both goals in spectacular fashion with the second being an early candidate for goal of the season as he flipped the ball over his marker and volleyed in for a 2-0 lead. Though the Glory did have some chances through Shane Smeltz, Billy Mehmet and Travis Dodd, this game belonged to the Jets. New recruit Frannie Jeffers marked his first game of his second stint with Newcastle with a nice performance as the home side controlled possession and importantly, the midfield. All three points lift the Jets past Perth into second place, though they are equal on nine points through five games. For the Glory, the loss was the second straight after winning their first three.

Victory Find First Win Against 10-Man Phoenix

Wellington Phoenix 1 – Melbourne Victory 2
It took four games to score but when they finally did, Melbourne Victory got a wonderful strike from Archie Thompson. The A-League’s all-time leading scorer got things going for the Victory after a difficult first half and led ultimately to a more open and focused attack from the visitors. Dani Sánchez led the way for Wellington at Westpac Stadium, creating chances for himself as well as the likes of Leo Bertos while defender Tony Lochhead again provided fine service, only to see shots by Sanchez and Tim Brown go begging. Despite dominating the first forty minutes, Wellington suddenly found themselves behind after Thompson’s cut-back drive into the box and lifted shot to the far post. Ben Sigmund, who had played admirably in defense for the Phoenix, was sent off in the 66th after taking down Thompson in the box. Carlos Hernández buried the resulting penalty, sending the Victory ahead 2-0. Sanchez pulled one back on a terrific one-touch shot in the 71st but Wellington could not figure out a way past Ante Čović over the game’s final twenty minutes. The Victory could have made it three but another Thompson goal was called back due to Marco Rojas being offside.

Gold Coast United 3 – Newcastle Jets 1
At Skilled Park, Gold Coast United were worthy recipients of three points as Maceo Rigters dominated Newcastle Jets in Gary van Egmond’s return to the touchline. The Dutch recruit scored his first goal for United in the 11th minute before just missing on two more blasts before a half-hour had passed. The Jets had nice chances of their own with Ruben Zadkovich missing just wide and Jobe Wheelhouse stoned by Glen Moss before the 30th minute. Ben Kennedy’s error just before the hour gave the home side the lead as the Jets’ goalkeeper could not hold on to Peter Jungschläger’s free kick, allowing Kristian Rees to score from the rebound. Wheelhouse got Newcastle on the score sheet with a goal in the 68th minute from a Ryan Griffiths free kick, but after Rees hit the post, James Brown scored his third goal of the season to finish off the game for the hosts. Though only 2974 were on hand for the game, United showed again that they may yet have a case for remaining in the A-League, at least based on their on-field performances.

A-League Goal of the Week – Round 3

With 67% of the vote, Jeremy Brockie’s match-winner for Newcastle Jets against Central Coast Mariners is the winner of Round 3’s Goal of the Week. A late push brought Besart Berisha’s goal into contention but that campaign stalled at 33%. Neither Shane Smeltz nor Jamie Coyne received a single vote.

Round 3 A-League Weekend Results

Saturday October 21:
Adelaide United 1
Sydney FC 2

Melbourne Victory 0
Melbourne Heart 0

Sunday October 22:
Perth Glory 1
Wellington Phoenix 0

Newcastle Jets 1
Central Coast Mariners 0

Francis Jeffers Also Rejoins Newcastle Jets

On the same day Newcastle welcomed a familiar face to their managerial position, the Jets brought back forward Francis Jeffers on a one-year contract. The thirty-year old Englishman featured nine times in 2010/11 as a guest player after failing to reach a contract after trials at Everton and Blackpool. Jeffers scored once in that time but was unable to come to terms before leaving for Motherwell in Scotland. Now he returns on a full season deal and will likely be paired with Ryan Griffiths up front.

Gary van Egmond Returns to Newcastle Jets

With their derby coming this weekend against Central Coast Mariners, Newcastle Jets have been running television adverts reminding their rivals which club were Grand Final winners. With that message in mind, the Jets have brought back manager Gary van Egmond, architect of that 2007/08 championship side, as their new manager. Signing a two-year deal to return two years at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), van Egmond brings optimism ahead of the F3 derby this weekend. Of course Newcastle have not beaten the Mariners in two years, so the return of van Egmond certainly signals a hope of bringing success in the most important regular season match and a return to normalcy after the surprise sacking of Branko Čulina.

Smeltz Brace Leads Glory Past Heart

Melbourne Heart 1 – Perth Glory 2
A goal in each half from Shane Smeltz were enough for Perth Glory to take all three points from Melbourne Heart on Sunday, 2-1 at AAMI Park. Smeltz opened his account for the Glory on a header from a Liam Miller cross but was equalized on the half-our by a David Williams penalty for the Heart. A week after narrowly missing out on his Perth debut, Smeltz made it two in his second Glory goal when he bent a shot from just outside the box to restore the visitors’ lead and claim the victory. The second straight failure leave Heart as the only club without a point through the first two rounds, a fact that is compounded by the short-term loss of Marquee Player Fred, who exited in the first half due to a hamstring injury. As for Glory, they have put the doldrums of 2010/11 behind them on the strength of their new recruits. Their six points are equalled only by Brisbane Roar.

Wellington Phoenix 2 – Newcastle Jets 0
In New Zealand, Wellington Phoenix scored twice before having two players sent off against Newcastle Jets at Westpac Stadium. Tim Brown grabbed the first Phoenix goal when his header beat Ben Kennedy in the 18th minute. Just prior to the goal, Wellington lost midfielder Paul Ifill to another groin injury, forcing his replacement for the second straight week. Daniel came on for Ifill and changed the game. His play on the wing gave Wellington a constant threat, a force that ultimately led to his scoring the second goal from a Tony Lochhead cross. Despite the 2-0 lead, the Phoenix saw Nick Ward and Brown sent off in the game’s final moments, with manager Ricki Herbert incredulous. Despite finishing just just nine men, Wellington held off the Jets and moved up to third place on the ladder with four points. The opening game win against Melbourne Heart was dampened by the away loss for Newcastle, who have one just once in Wellington. Still, their three points are good for fifth place.