The Jets sit one point outside the top six after four rounds and van Egmond said the team would settle for nothing less than a win against the Reds.
Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets coach Gary van Egmond believes the team won-t settle for a point when they take on Adelaide United at Coopers Stadium on Saturday night.
Marquee man Emile Heskey has been added to the squad for the clash, but otherwise the team remains unchanged from last week-s match with the Central Coast Mariners.
It will be Heskey-s first appearance for the Jets this season after injuring his knee in pre-season and van Egmond is wary of not overusing his marquee man.
“It-s a long season so the most important thing is to make sure that Emile is going to get through this game, next game the following game and that he gets to play more regularly,” van Egmond said.
Van Egmond indicated fellow veteran Michael Bridges- experience could be vital to the result in Adelaide and hoped the English forward could do a job when called upon.
“Bridgey is the one we can pull when we need to pull him out, whether that-s looking to create something when we-re chasing the game or he-s able to diffuse things and put his foot on the ball,” he said.
“He-s got plenty of experience, he gives the other players a lot of confidence when he comes on from those cameo runs, so he-ll definitely be involved.”
While disappointed not to take all three points against the Mariners in the F3 derby last weekend, van Egmond took plenty of positives out of the match.
“I think we were still a threat going forward, we matched up in midfield and put three at the back,” the coach said.
“We-re still very comfortable in the way that we did things, we still created a number of chances from playing that way.”
Van Egmond admitted the Jets needed to be better defensively after conceding two late goals against the Mariners.
“I-m not one to try and park the bus, that-s not the way I think the game should be played, but you-ve still got to be able to keep your goal intact,” he said.
“They were the first goals we conceded all year and the way in which we conceded the goals was more disappointing, they could have been diffused very easily.
“That-s something we need to keep working on as players to ensure those mistakes don-t creep in and are deadly in regards to conceding goals against us.”
The Jets sit one point outside the top six after four rounds and van Egmond said the team would settle for nothing less than a win against the Reds on Saturday.
“I think this weekend will be a really good contest. I think both sides will look to try and win the game. It should be really good for the fans and the viewers,” he said.
“We want to definitely win the game, we want to stay in contact with the teams that are already on eight or nine points.
“The main objective for us is to get into the top six, but first and foremost this weekend is about getting a result.”
