Van Egmond talks about the invaluable Member and fan support the Jets receive in this week’s catch up.
It is always great to play on your home turf, to play for your members and devoted supporters; it gives you an edge over your competitor that is invaluable.
Newcastle Jets as a Club do this better than any other team in the A-League.
The game on Saturday night against Victory took this to a whole new level with our biggest crowd of the season so far, we could hear you all before we could even see you, but when we walked out and saw that NEWCASTLE sign it blew us away.
The guys were determined from the very start. I saw a side that was hungry for the three points and that were ready for some serious football. We are definitely finding our feet when it comes to controlling the game and applying pressure from the start, even though Melbourne put one in the net before us we never backed down.
It-s almost like the players have found their groove, as players and as a team they are starting to believe in themselves and their ability to react in the game. Instilling this belief in players is one of the hardest things as a coach to achieve; it proves just how far they have come over the past month.
All you ask of your team is to improve week by week, and even though it may not have been the player-s most notable game of the season, the skill set they are showing on the field has impressed most of their critics proving they may not be the underdogs of this season.
We are now in the thick of the season and the Jets are proving they are in this one for the long haul, we can mix it with those sitting on top of the ladder – not just based on the results but also by performance.
The momentum for us is just starting and we are hoping to swing it our way as we travel down the F3 to face off with the Mariners at Bluetongue Stadium. It will be a difficult game, but we are up for the challenge.
I know the players want to take the three points from the Mariners, and I couldn-t think of a better way to spur them on than by having our Jets members and supporters there with them in the stands in massive numbers; maybe our red and blue sea could wash out their yellow and blue…now that would put a smile on the faces of our boys.
Until next week
Gary
