The Newcastle Jets defeated Mounties Wanderers 5-2 in a pre-season trial match at Cook Park.
The Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets defeated Mounties Wanderers 5-2 in a pre-season trial match at Cook Park.
A brace to Joey Gibbs and goals from Craig Goodwin and youth team players Brandon Lundy and Beau McNamara secured a comfortable win for the Jets.
The Jets started brightly, with James Virgili attacking down the left flank and squaring the ball to Lundy who buried a side-footed finish from the near the penalty spot to give the Jets a 1-0 lead inside the first 10 minutes.
The Jets continued to apply pressure with Ben Kantarovski and Gibbs trying their luck from long range to no avail.
Jacob Pepper and Virgili both went close to extending the Jets- lead midway through the half, but could not hit the target when presented with a half-chance.
Mounties were handed a lifeline to get back into the contest after Taylor Regan was ruled to have brought down Alvin Singh in the box right on the stroke of half-time.
Daniel Severino stepped up to take the penalty and made no mistake from the spot, levelling the scores at 1-1 heading into the break.
The Jets came out with renewed vigour in the second half, with Andrew Hoole and Scott Neville linking up well on the right wing.
After making an overlapping run, Neville whipped a cross into the box that found its way to Gibbs, who volleyed home with his left boot to give the Jets a 2-1 advantage after 50 minutes of play.
Gibbs completed his brace a short time later when he drove a low shot from the top of the box that skipped off the greasy surface and into the bottom corner to make it 3-1 in favour of the Jets.
The Jets made a number of substitutions around the 60 minute mark, with Michael Bridges and Socceroos Craig Goodwin and Adam Taggart taking the field.
The Jets gave away another penalty in the 72nd minute after referee Strebre Delovski ruled there to have been holding in the box.
Severino stepped up to take the spot kick once again, but Newcastle shot-stopper Mark Birighitti guessed the correct way and pulled off a sharp reflex save to preserve the Jets- two-goal lead.
Taggart went close to extending the Jets- advantage when he struck the post from a tight angle following a swift counter-attack from the Jets in the 74th minute.
Goodwin did eventually make it 4-1when Bridges found him in space at the top of the box and the left-footer drilled a powerful shot into the back of the net.
Jets youth team player Andrew Pawiak set up McDonald for the Newcastle-s fifth goal of the match with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Mounties netted a late consolation goal after Andrew Hirmiz forced the ball home following a scramble in the box, meaning the final score line read 5-2 in favour of the Jets
Newcastle Jets 5 (Lundy 5-, Gibbs 48- 54-, Goodwin 76-, McDonald 81-)
Mounties Wanderers 2 (Severino 44-, Hirmiz 85-)
