Gary van Egmond discusses last weekend’s loss against the Gold Coast and how they hope to turn it around this week.
It-s nice to be back in charge of the side and with Sunday-s match under my belt it-s onwards and upwards from here for the side.
Unfortunately it wasn-t quite the opening game I had hoped for, missing out on those three important points.
Round four of the 2011/12 Hyundai A-League season saw us meet our second defeat going down to Gold Coast United 3-1.
The boys did put up a good fight; there were a few chances that we didn-t capitalize on in the first half. We will be working hard on improving and developing our game through the week so come Saturday-s match against Perth Glory we will be a force to be reckoned with.
Jobe Wheelhouse-s goal in the 68th minute was well deserved and well assisted by Ryan Griffiths. We were unlucky not to score again and unfortunately we switched off at a detrimental time and lost control.
We did manage a high possession percentage during the last fifteen minutes of the match, which I take away as a huge positive. The addition of proven international goal scorer, Francis Jeffers, will defiantly be an added bonus for future games.
Our focus at training this week has, and will be, reassessing where we went wrong on Sunday-s game and where the improvements need to be implemented. We will be focusing on three main factors; positioning, intensity and recovery when possession is lost.
As we approach week five of the A-League season, each game is getting tougher and tougher.
We host Perth Glory on Saturday and I don-t anticipate it to be a walk in the park. There is not one team in the A-League this season that is an easy beat. Glory have such a strong, experienced side this year, they will defiantly give us a run for our money.
We do have the home crowd advantage; however, we are not getting comfortable.
Perth sits above us on the ladder board, in second position on nine points and us in third on six points.
This early in the competition the points are extremely important however, I am trying to focus on the game and take it week-to-week. I think that we will become a stronger entity if we concentrate on the job at hand and not get caught up in the politics.
As I get ready for my second game coach, and importantly my first home game, I-m excited for what this season is going to bring.
I hope that we can deliver high quality football for the members and supporters and provide great entertainment on Saturday. The Jets have such a passionate fan base behind them and it is great to be leading such a talented squad.
I look forward to seeing you all there at Ausgrid Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Gary van Egmond
