There was late drama at Hunter Stadium on Easter Saturday as the Newcastle Jets were narrowly defeated 2-1 by the Hyundai A-League Finals Series bound Perth Glory in the club’s last home game of its 2015/16 campaign.
Glory took the lead in the 72nd minute of the match when Krisztian Vadocz netted from close range following a goalmouth scramble after a corner.
But the main talking points of the fixture would come in deep into the match, as first Nigel Boogaard was shown a red card after he appeared to have won the ball in a tackle in the box against Andy Keogh. The referee awarded a penalty which Keogh duly dispatched to double Glory’s advantage.
In the first minute of time added on substitute Andy Brennan’s cross into the box was intended for the onrushing Ryan Kitto, but he too went down under the attention of Dino Djulbic, resulting in another penalty. Djulbic was shown red, and Mateo Poljak reduced the arrears for Newcastle from 12 yards, in the process scoring his first goal for the club.
The Jets and Glory shared the opportunities in the first 45 before the game sprung to life in the second stanza.
Kitto sent a strike just wide of the target from just inside the box for Newcastle, while former Danish international Morten Nordstrand went even closer as he bamboozled the Glory backline before seeing his left foot effort graze off the crossbar.
At the other of the pitch Mark Birighitti produced two fine saves to deny talented Spaniard Diego Castro and former Australia international Richard Garcia in the space of five minutes.
The loss leaves the Jets in eighth place on the Hyundai A-League standings with two regular season matches left to play. Indeed, Newcastle will travel to Brisbane next Sunday for a clash with the high-flying Roar, before traveling south to finish the club’s season at Central Coast Mariners on Saturday 9 April.
The club wishes to thank its Members and fans for their support at Hunter Stadium throughout season 11 of the Hyundai A-League.
Newcastle Jets 1 (Poljak 90+2’)
Perth Glory 2 (Vadocz 72’, Keogh 88’ (pen))
Hunter Stadium, Newcastle
Referee: Kris Griffiths-Jones
Newcastle Jets: 1. Mark Birighitti (Gk), 3. Jason Hoffman, 4. Nigel Boogaard (C), 5. Benjamin Kantarovski, 8. Mateo Poljak, 10. Leonardo, 14. Mitch Cooper (12. Andy Brennan 64’), 16. Steven Ugarkovic, 19. Morten Nordstrand, 24. Nicholas Cowburn, 28. Ryan Kitto
Substitutes not used: 6. Cameron Watson, 9. Milos Trifunovic, 20. Ben Kennedy (Gk), 22. Lachlan Jackson
Yellow cards: Cowburn, Kantarovski, Hoffman
Red card: Boogaard
Perth Glory: 1. Ante Covic (Gk), 2. Alex Grant, 3. Marc Warren, 4. Shane Lowry, 7. Gyorgy Sandor (18. Mitch Oxborrow 90+1’), 9. Andy Keogh, 11. Richard Garcia (10. Nebojsa Marinkovic 60’), 14. Chris Harold, 17. Diego Castro, 23. Kristian Vadocz, 29. Aryn Williams (6. Dino Djulbic 46’)
Substitutes not used: 6. Dino Djulbic, 10. Nebojsa Marinkovic, 12. Jerrad Tyson (Gk), 18. Mitchell Oxborrow, 24. Jamal Reiners
Yellow cards: Williams, Lowry, Djulbic (x2)
Red card: Djulbic
