A rampaging Newcastle Jets team tore apart the Melbourne Heart at AAMI Park tonight with a stunning 2-0 win despite being down a man for most of the match.
A rampaging Newcastle Jets team tore apart the Melbourne Heart at AAMI Park tonight with a stunning 2-0 win despite being down a man for most of the match.
One of the team-s most impressive wins of the season saw them blow the Heart off the field in the opening 20 minutes.
In form English import Francis Jeffers started the ball rolling for the Jets when he scored his first goal for the club in the 12th minute.
In a demoralising blow for the Heart, the goal came minutes after Jobe Wheelhouse was sent off for an open-handed push to an opponent-s face.
The harsh decision from match referee Peter Green only saw the Jets lift a gear however and Jeffers was at it again minutes later when he fed a deft pass through to Marko Jesic, who timed his run perfectly.
Heart keeper Clint Bolton attempted to rush out to Jesic to block the shot early but the Jets youngster kept his cool to curl the ball around Bolton-s outstretched hand for the 2-0 lead.
The Heart-s confidence had taken a battering but the home side showed positive signs towards the end of the first half, with Jets keeper Matthew Nash being forced to make consecutive saves in injury time.
The Heart continued their resurgence soon after the break and immediately had the Jets on the back foot, with several shots drawing brilliant saves from Nash, who continues to impress in the absence of Ben Kennedy.
The remainder of the second half was a case of survival for the Jets as they set about employing their A-League leading defense to keep out the rejuvenated Heart attack.
Jets captain Ljubo Milicevic and his centre-back partner Nikolai Topor-Stanley were outstanding at the back, as was Ruben Zadkovich who toiled hard all match at the uncustomary position of right back to cover for the injured Tarek Elrich.
Midfielder Ben Kantarovski was relentless on the ball all match, at one stage late in the match taking three defenders downfield on an 80m run. Up front, the composure of Jesic and Jeffers – fast becoming the danger pairing of the A-League – was a feature of the performance.
The Jets have now enjoyed four wins and two draws in the past six matches, taking them into the top six of the A-League competition. The side has conceded the least amount of goals in the A-League (12) and still has three games in hand to make its move on the ladder.
NEWCASTLE JETS FC 2 (Francis Jeffers 12th minute, Marko Jesic 18th minute) bt Melbourne Heart 0
YELLOW CARDS
Ruben Zadkovich
Ljubo Milicevic
Francis Jeffers
RED CARDS
Jobe Wheelhouse
