Ruben Zadkovich says he was pleased with the desire and determination shown by the Jets to secure a 1-0 win over Melbourne Heart.
Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets captain Ruben Zadkovich says he was pleased with the desire and determination shown by the Jets to secure a 1-0 win over Melbourne Heart at Hunter Stadium on Saturday.
A lone second half strike from Young Socceroos striker Adam Taggart was enough for the Jets to seal a 1-0 victory over an in-form Heart outfit and move them to within one point of fifth placed Adelaide United.
“I think it was more so for the Members for me, they-ve been turning up in numbers, our home form has been poor so I really wanted to win that one for them,” Zadkovich said.
“It wasn-t pretty, it wasn-t one of our best performances, but the thing I like was that we fought really hard and we earned it and I think our Members appreciated that.
“We still created a lot of chances, the biggest positive for us is that we can absorb pressure, we-ve shown a few times this year that when we drop deep in our own half we can catch teams on the counter.”
Jets striker Joel Griffiths was a late injury withdrawal against the Heart, but Zadkovich admitted the depth of the squad showed they can cover injuries if required.
“We-ve got a bit of depth now in the squad, it was disappointing to lose Joel because I think he was due for a real big game and I think our Members were looking forward to that as well,” he said.
“But the guys that stepped in for him in Hooley and Craig were brilliant so it was a good team performance.
“It-s nice that we-re finding a little bit of rhythm and there-s a nucleus of the team that continues to start each week and that-s probably key to how we-re going.”
Zadkovich admitted this weekend-s clash with the Central Coast Mariners in Gosford was a must win game but is confident their recent good form can help them leapfrog their rivals into the top six.
“Last time we played there it was like Murphy-s Law anything that could go wrong did go wrong, they were fantastic that night and we were really poor,” Zadkovich said.
“We-ll be looking to rectify that and stick to what we-ve been doing in recent weeks and that-s really working hard, progressing as a tight knit unit and we want to fight for everything and make sure we come away with the three points.”
Jets coach Clayton Zane earmarked striker Adam Taggart as a World Cup bolter following his performance against the Heart and Zadkovich firmly believes the 20-year-old deserves a spot in Brazil.
“I actually said it earlier in the year that I thought he-s a bit of a World Cup bolter, I had the pleasure of being in the Aussie squad with him at the East Asian Cup tournament and he came on and scored,” he said.
“He-s a fantastic player, he-s the type of player that will rise to any occasion and he-s got a good head on his shoulders. If he gets given the opportunity I-m 100 per cent confident he-ll be successful.
“He-s an attacking player with plenty of pace and flair and I really think he-s the future of our attacking lineup up front for Australia.”
