The Newcastle Jets staged an impressive pre-season performance in Sydney’s west overnight with a 3 – 0 victory against New South Wales Premier League side, Bonnyrigg.
The Newcastle Jets staged an impressive pre-season performance in Sydney-s west overnight with a 3 – 0 victory against New South Wales Premier League side, Bonnyrigg.
Captained by Ruben Zadkovich, determined attacking play from the stand-in skipper created chances for Ali Abbas and the midfielder put the White Eagles on notice, sending an early shot flashing past the post.
It was a tougher night out than previous weeks; yellow cards to Zadkovich and star recruit Tiago Calvano within 90 seconds of each other were an indication of Bonnyrigg-s strong defence. With constant pressure on their midfield the Jets found it difficult to settle.
But it was only a matter of time before Newcastle managed to adjust and shift play away from the domination through the middle and Marco Jesic struck long range to put the Jets 1 – 0 ahead.
Poor Bonnyrigg passing gave Newcastle more opportunities and Jacob Pepper found himself in open space to link with Abbas, but he was unable to beat the keepers challenge nearing half time.
Wholesale changes by Coach Branko Culina saw Taylor Reegan the only Jets player with prior game time emerge from the sheds and a strong build up in the middle had Newcastle back in an attacking position. Labinot Haliti added the finishing touches for a 2 – 0 advantage.
The White Eagles continued to pressure and managed to get around Newcastle-s defence to push into the box but a lacklustre final ball was easily cleared by the Jets.
Back on the attack, Ryan Griffiths showed too much class through his one-two combination with Haliti to plant the Jets third goal of the night into the back of the net to finish off a solid trial performance for Newcastle.
“Overall it was a pleasing performance and another chance to put our pre-season into practice. These games are vital to make sure we are heading down the right track,” Culina said.
“We got off to a slow start and it was an arm wrestle but I was pleased how we adjusted to the conditions.”
Culina said while he was impressed with some strong individual performances, it was an overall team effort that caught his attention.
“In trials there are always some players who do more than others but at this stage I am looking for more collective efforts rather than individual players, he added.”
“The team is doing well but our movement and ball retention is something we-ll continue to work on along with a better understanding of our game plan and how we apply ourselves to achieve more consistency.
“Most importantly though the more games we play throughout the pre-season the more we can continue to build on our depth and achieve the shape and formation we need heading into the A-League season.”
