Ryan Griffiths says the Jets are preparing to face a committed and unrelenting Western Sydney Wanderers side on Saturday.
Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets forward Ryan Griffiths says the Jets are preparing to face a committed and unrelenting Western Sydney Wanderers side at Campbelltown Stadium on Saturday.
The Jets defeated Western Sydney 2-1 when the two sides first met at Parramatta Stadium in Round 6, but Griffiths said the Wanderers had come a long way as a Club since that encounter.
“We need to make sure we can get a result down there and fight all the way, because the Wanderers are that type of team,” Griffiths said.
“They fight so hard, they work so hard as a unit, but that-s also something we-ve done in the last five weeks as well.
“We haven-t given up in any of the games and it-s going to be a game for the full 90 minutes, that-s for sure.”
The Jets are unbeaten in their last five matches, but Griffiths said they would have to be wary of a Wanderers outfit looking for their fifth consecutive victory on Saturday.
“They-re doing really well. They-re really good at capitalising on other team-s mistakes so we need to make sure that we-ve got our game plan intact,” Griffiths said.
“We-ve been working on it this week and it looks good. Everyone is in good spirits and has a lot of confidence.
Both teams have plenty to play for, with Newcastle looking to solidify their place in the A-League-s top six, while the Wanderers will no doubt be eager to keep pace with the A-League-s top two.
“Every game is really important. You can see how tight it is. It-s probably the tightest competition I-ve been involved with in terms of making the top six,” Griffiths said.
“I think this weekend could be a huge result for us. We-ve got the squad to do it, we-ve been unbeaten in our last five games and we just need that victory to shoot away from the other teams.”
Griffiths said the Jets players would not be intimated by the Wanderers fans, but would rather feed off the energy of the vocal crowd.
“It won-t be too daunting for myself and the likes of Emile and the players that have been overseas and experienced those type of atmospheres,” he said.
“I think we need to make sure the young boys aren-t intimidated by it, because the Wanderers fans are quite loud, they-re going to be vocal, they-re going to be yelling things out and it-s just something you-ve got to deal with as a professional.”
All pre-purchased tickets to Saturday’s game include travel from Newcastle to the venue on CityRail trains as well as free transport on regular Sydney Buses (STA) services, Liverpool to Parramatta T-way buses and Sydney Ferries services.
The Jets Members pre sale has now ended, but tickets can still be purchased by CLICKING HERE.
