We just love gold.
We love winning it, and we love wearing it at home, although it’s been some time that we did either. In Season 2021/22, it returns.
To celebrate the announcement that your Newcastle Jets will be once again donning it on our playing kits, we’ve looked back through the archives to pick out some of our favourite moments we’ve experienced whilst wearing the famous colour.
CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD
How could we not start with this game? There’s been none more famous in our history than the 2008 A-League Grand Final.
Although we were in our away kits, the gold glimmered on our arms and shorts as we secured our first A-League Championship against the Central Coast Mariners.
In one of the most hotly contested deciders, a sea of gold in the crowd spurred our team on in the second half as Mark Bridge pounced on a Tony Vidmar mistake before curling the ball passed Danny Vukovic.
An iconic day at the old Sydney Football Stadium where the only thing that shone brighter than our gold, was the trophy.
THE FIRST EVER W-LEAGUE SEMI FINALS
In the first instalment of the W-League, our Jets women started the journey with a bang.
They only lost three games over the course of the regular season and secured themselves a second-place finish – the best in our W-League history – and a spot in the inaugural Semi Finals.
There at Wanderers Oval (now known as Magic Park), our girls walked out on the field in front of over 2,500 fans in gold and played their hearts out.
Although the result didn’t go our way that day, it was a significant and landmark milestone for football in this region.
Would we have liked to see our Jets win? Of course. But were we still immensely proud of them? You bet.
THE MATT THOMPSON HAT-TRICK
Let’s talk about some individual moments now, and how can we go past that of Matt Thompson against Melbourne Victory in the 2008/09 A-League Season.
Our boys were struggling to recapture the same form that saw them win the Grand Final earlier that year, and having been beaten by the league-leading Victory 5-0 a few months prior, the home fans were begging for a hero to step up. And that’s what Matty did.
After 16 minutes, Thompson scored his first against the run of play with a bullet of a header, and his second came just before half time as he snuck a left-footed strike just inside the post.
His third goal saw him tuck home a perfect Ben Kantarovski pass and jubilation ensued. When you talk about wonderful individual performances, Matt Thompson’s against the eventual Champions and Premiers, often springs to mind first.
THAT NICK CARLE GOAL
Another piece of solo brilliance came from one of our former Johnny Warren Medallists in the most exhilarating of circumstances.
Having started the 2006/07 A-League Season slowly without a win in their first seven games, the team had managed to find two wins in a row. But that streak looked as though it’d come to an end when they received a red card in their Round 10 clash with Adelaide.
Down to 10-men, and with the game locked at 1-1, Nick Carle picked up the ball from a deep within his own half with less than two minutes on the clock. He nodded the ball passed one defender and then took off towards goal with one final burst of energy.
Teammates looked to make possible runs for him to pass to, but he didn’t need it. A left foot shot with the outside of his boot curled its way into the side of the goal, and the 10,000-plus fans in McDonald Jones Stadium erupted.
A FAMOUS SEMI FINAL WIN
In 2006, we agonisingly bowed out in the finals, and a year later, we found ourselves again on the verge of falling at the first hurdle in the post-season.
Down 2-1 to Sydney FC after the first leg, a packed out crowd of over 24,000 filled McDonald Jones Stadium in support of a Jets comeback.
Following a scoreless first half, momentum shifted in our favour as Sydney were reduced to ten men and it wasn’t long after that the raucous crowd had something to cheer about as Joel Griffiths surged his way forward and blasted home the opener.
With an away-goal advantage, everyone was on the edge of their seat. Enter substitute Vaughn Coveny who managed to nab the crucial second goal late on which ultimately sent us through to the next round.
While we didn’t end up qualifying for the Grand Final that year, it was a night in gold that will go down in folklore for Jets fans.
LATE GOAL DRAMA AGAINST BEIJING
If you love late-game drama, then you would have also loved our final home game in the group stage of the 2009 AFC Champions League.
Having only picked up four points from the first four matches, the Jets needed a win against Beijing Guoan to survive, and after being down 1-0 (thanks to a Ryan Griffiths goal) after 87 minutes, three points looked highly unlikely. But it seems someone forgot to tell the team that.
In the 88th minute, Sasho Petrovksi latched onto a chipped ball from Tarek Elrich and struck an excellent first-time volley past the keeper.
The momentum continued as we looked for the winner and it seemed certain we’d found it following a mad scramble in the box. We didn’t, but less than 60 seconds later, Sean Rooney delivered a miracle shot from outside the box. Cue the pandemonium.
We can’t wait to watch what infamous moments the gold serves up in 2021/22.
Get your 2021/22 Newcastle Jets Membership today!
