The odds were stacked against us in the lead up to this one, but boy, did we put on a show!
After a much needed victory over Wellington at home last week, our depleted Jets pulled off a stunning performance to kickstart our charge for the finals and send the fans home happy.
Here are the major talking points from our win over Sydney FC at McDonald Jones Stadium:
Against All Odds
To describe this week in the Jets camp was ‘chaotic’, is putting it lightly… with COVID running through our team, both amongst the playing group and coaching staff, international duties and late injuries, and even an official signing made mere hours before kick-off, we came into this one as heavy outsiders.
Despite this, our side rose to the occasion and showcased what they were truly made of to further push our claim for a spot in the A-League’s top six.
We won the possession battle in the first half, going into the break with a strong 2-0 lead, and kept that momentum going in the second stanza to down a Sydney side who were coming off the back of two consecutive clean sheet victories.
Our rock-solid defensive work ensured that we secured our own clean sheet, and took home the three points as we march towards the business end of the season.
Young Guns & Old Weapons
We entered tonight’s match with seven changes to the Starting XI that saw us defeat Wellington a week ago, but despite that, the players who stepped in, stepped up bigtime!
17-year-old striker Archie Goodwin was one of those names new names returning to the A-League stage with a quickfire double with two goals in as many minutes, while wide defender Lucas Mauragis also shone in his first start of the season, completing 81% of his passes, and providing the assist for the first of Goodwin’s goals.
Experienced heads were also called in with Taylor Regan putting in an excellent 90 minute performance at the back alongside Jurman and Elsey, making 92% of his passes and winning all of his ground duels.
A special mention should also be made for goalkeeper Jack Duncan who returned to the field after experiencing an injury almost four weeks ago. Despite not being 100% fit to play, the glovemen pulled off some vital saves in goals to earn another clean sheet.
Charge for Finals
Momentum is building as we approach the pointy end of the season.
The win over Sydney marks our first time achieving consecutive victories, and we now have a golden opportunity to pick up more vital points with our next three games against sides near the bottom of the table.
The three points move us to within striking distance of Sydney FC, who hold on to sixth spot by three points. The Jets sit just outside the finals places with 21 points, however, we do have two games in hand to be played.
Our run home sees us face several teams who are vying for a place in the top six such as Central Coast Mariners (x2), Western Sydney, Melbourne Victory and Brisbane, and will all be fixtures we need to claim points from if we are to feature in this year’s finals series.
