The A-League Men’s Squad had their first pre-season fixture on Wednesday night, as they kicked off the Mark Milligan Era with a 4-1 victory over NPL NSW side St George FC.
Xavier Bertoncello (Youth Team) opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Oscar Fryer drove inside, before being tackled by the St George FC player. New signing Max Burgess got onto the loose ball before playing in Bertoncello down the right hand side of the box. Bertoncello unleashed a powerful low effort which beat the keeper before nestling into the bottom left corner.
Oliver Cockle (Youth Team) grabbed the second goal of the night. A well worked passage of play starting with keeper Delianov led to a dangerous low cross being delivered from the right hand side. 17-year old Oliver Cockle made no mistake as he calmly tapped the ball into the back of the net from close range, giving the Jets a 2-0 lead in the 37th minute.
Max Burgess made it 3-0 from the spot in the 42nd minute. A scramble in the box led to a shot striking the hand of a St George defender, with the referee awarding a penalty. Burgess stepped up and placed his shot straight down the middle, scoring as the keeper had dove to his right.
St George grabbed their only goal of the game in the 59th minute, as a deep corner found the onrushing Matthew Macarthur, who volleyed into the net from an acute angle, making the score 3-1.
Kota Mizunuma grabbed the fourth, and the best of the bunch, in the 71st minute with a stunning strike from distance which lobbed the St George custodian. Kota got onto a half-cleared ball from St George, unleashing a high-arcing shot with his first touch that sailed straight over the keeper’s head before dropping into the top right corner of the goal.
The Jets next pre-season match is against NPL Northern NSW leaders Edgeworth Eagles FC on Tuesday, 22nd July. The game will kick off at 7pm at Jack McLaughlan Oval. The Jets are also in action on the 30th of July against Adelaide United in the Australia Cup. The game will take place at Maitland Sportsground, kicking off at 7:30. Tickets can be purchased here https://bit.ly/JetsAdelaide
