Craig Goodwin is hoping to maintain his scintillating form when the Jets take on the Mariners at Hunter Stadium on Saturday.
Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets winger Craig Goodwin says he hopes to maintain his scintillating recent form when the Jets take on the Central Coast Mariners in Saturday-s F3 Derby at Hunter Stadium.
Goodwin was a standout performer in the Jets- 3-2 win over Sydney FC last weekend, proving to be a constant menace to the Sky Blues- defence and scoring the Jets- third goal with a classy chip over Ivan Necevski.
“Hopefully that-s the standard that I can keep now on in all the games that I play,” Goodwin said.
“I-ve got to continue to perform well and keep going the way I am so hopefully there-s more to come.”
Goodwin went close to scoring on two occasions in the first half. He hit the post with a left-footed strike in the 14th minute, before shooting across the face of goal after beating two Sydney defenders with a sublime piece of skill in the 33rd minute.
Rather than being disheartened by the near-misses, Goodwin revealed that some advice from his teammates helped spur him on to eventually find the back of the net in the second half.
“Of course I was disappointed that they didn-t go in, but at halftime all the boys and especially Ruben told me to keep going and I-d eventually get one,” Goodwin said.
“He said sometimes it just takes two or three chances and luckily I got my chance and I took it.
“I was very happy to get my first goal for the team and also very happy for the team to get their first win on the board, it was very important.”
The Jets- now turn their attention to Saturday-s F3 Derby against the Mariners.
Goodwin is no stranger to the importance of derby matches, having excelled on debut for Melbourne Heart against Melbourne Victory last season.
The 20-year-old said he is looking forward to getting his first taste of the Jets-Mariners rivalry.
“It-s going to be very interesting to see what the F3 derby is like,” he said.
“I-m sure all the boys will be ready for it and raring to go and hopefully we get another three points.”
With Emile Heskey doing a great job of leading the forward line, Goodwin said his combination with the big striker is continuing to grow.
“He-s been here two weeks now and it-s getting a lot better with him up front and the combinations since he-s come in are working well,” Goodwin said.
“Hopefully in the next few games and throughout the season it will just get better and better.”
Match Details:
F3 Derby
Newcastle Jets v Central Coast Mariners
Hunter Stadium
Saturday, October 20
Kick-off at 5.30pm (gates open 4.30pm)
Tickets from PROticket
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