Craig Deans believes the Jets’ Round 2 away win over Sydney FC will give the squad confidence ahead of their trip to Perth.
Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets assistant coach Craig Deans believes the Jets- Round 2 away win over Sydney FC will give the squad confidence ahead of their trip to face Perth Glory at nib Stadium on Saturday.
The Jets- defeated the Sky Blues 3-2 in front of a boisterous pro-Sydney crowd of more than 35,000.
Deans said the character the Jets players showed to secure the three points on the road in front of a raucous opposition fan base would hold them in good stead against Perth this weekend.
“It gives you confidence in the group that they can go anywhere against any type of opposition, against good opposition, against a big crowd and they can compete, they can perform and they can come out on top,” Deans explained
“Obviously winning games gives you a lot of confidence. We-ve proved that we can cope with a big stage away from home already this year.
“We haven-t played fantastically well, but we-ve coped with pressure defensively and we-ve been good enough to take our opportunities when we have them.
“We just need to keep that level and just improve the football a little bit.”
The Jets have traditionally struggled to beat the Glory in Perth, with their only win from 10 attempts coming back in 2005.
However, Deans said that record would not be a factor come Saturday night.
“It-s a completely new group of players and they don-t carry the burden of previous teams, so it-s not something we-re going to talk much about to be honest,” he said.
“Each week its not about focusing on where you are or who you-re playing, but just focusing on yourself and making sure we do the job that we need to do.
“I think so far we-ve taken care of three games out of four. We haven-t played as well as we would have liked to have played, but the results are the most important thing at the moment and that will be the same this weekend.”
Having played 30 minutes for the Jets- National Youth League team against Western Sydney Wanderers last Thursday, Newcastle recruit James Brown is in contention to make his first A-League appearance for his new Club against Perth.
“After three wins in a row, if you have someone like Browny looking to find a way back into the team, then that-s a good problem to have,” Deans explained.
“Browny can played wide right, he can play wide left and he can play in the midfield. He adds a bit of versatility and he gives us plenty more options, some more speed, some creativity and some individual talent.
“If Browny feels ready to play and as long as the medical team give him the OK, he-s a possibility to make the trip.
“It-s a problem that we want to have and that-s why we recruited the players that we did this year. No matter who we pick, we-re pretty confident that they can do the job.”
