Coach Gary van Egmond said the Newcastle Jets can’t rely on their home game form if they want to be serious contenders.
The Newcastle Jets were unable to get their first away win of the season on Saturday night and coach Gary van Egmond expressed concern with the distinct difference in home and away game form.
“We started quite brightly but copped a goal from a set piece and started to drop off,” van Egmond said.
“We didn’t come out with any real vigour until the last 10 minutes, by which time the game was lost.
“It’s a mental thing – we had a light week, so there’s no issue with their conditioning.
“It’s frustrating because we’re going to have to rely on our home games to be a force in the league and we all know that won’t be enough.”
The coach felt the performance was particularly disappointing given the large number of Members and supporters who travelled to the game.
“Our supporters were extremely passionate, in some ways more passionate than maybe the effort some of our players put out,” van Egmond said.
“The support we got from the Newcastle faithful coming down the F3 was wonderful and at times they drowned out the Mariners support.”
The good news for the Jets is they return home this week to host Sydney FC and they will hope to continue their good home form whilst they work on their away game form.