The Jets face a nervous wait over the next two weeks as they rely on other results to keep their A-League finals hopes alive.
The Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets face a nervous wait over the next two weeks to see if their hopes of qualifying for the A-League finals will still be alive when they take on Western Sydney Wanderers in their final game of the season at Hunter Stadium.
Newcastle played out a 1-1 draw with Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium, ensuring they maintained their spot in the top six for the time being.
The Jets must now wait to see the results of the remaining matches of Round 25 and next week-s Round 26 fixtures before finding out whether their chances of competing in the A-League finals are still alive.
Head coach Gary van Egmond admitted the Jets- fortunes no longer laid in their own hands.
“The result against Adelaide gives us a glimmer of hope,” van Egmond said.
“We-re not going top be the masters of our own destiny. We-re definitely going to have to hope for certain results, so we-ll stay tuned.
“We-ll say a few Hail Mary-s, a few Our Fathers and voodoo dolls or whatever it might be and hopefully there will be some decent results for us.
“We-d love to get into the finals and I think with the new format, it really gives the teams that come fifth or sixth a real shot because of the way it is.”
While disappointed not to get all three points, van Egmond said he was pleased with the desire and commitment shown by his players against Adelaide.
“It was testament to the players, who have been fantastic all year,” van Egmond said.
“From a coaching perspective we-re very, very happy because they-re getting better and better every week.
“They keep on developing and they keep on improving, so from my point of view I-ve been very, very happy with the players.”
The Jets had two goals controversially disallowed in the first 10 minutes of the clash with the Reds, but van Egmond was philosophical when asked about the decisions and the effect they could have on the season.
“We can talk about that until the cows come home, but that-s just football isn-t it,” he said.
“It-s easy to criticise from the perspective of the performance of an official, but they need as much support as we can give them.”
“The game is becoming extremely professional, the game is getting quicker every year and the referees probably just need to get more support.”
