Ahead of the Newcastle Jets’ 2015 Westfield FFA Cup clash with Perth Glory next Tuesday night, club writer Luke Robbs spoke with 2014 Cup Champions Nigel Boogaard and Cameron Watson on what it takes to win the title. Boogaard & Watson will be seeking to help the Jets eliminate Perth Glory – just as they did with Adelaide United in last year’s Final – at Magic Park, Broadmeadow next week.
New Newcastle Jets recruits Nigel Boogaard and Cameron Watson are confident their experience in last year’s Westfield FFA Cup competition has them in good stead to help the team advance to the Round of 16 when they face off against Perth Glory next Tuesday night at Magic Park, Broadmeadow.
Boogaard and Watson both featured in the Adelaide United squad which took out the inaugural FFA Cup last season before making the switch to the Jets.
In fact, both players featured in the first ever FFA Cup Final against their opponents next week, Kenny Lowe’s West Australian purple and whites.
Boogaard says that he’s hoping their experience can help get them through their Round of 32 clash.
“Cameron and I both played in the competition last season and hopefully with that five match run in mind we can impart some of our knowledge on the younger boys,” Boogaard said.
“It’s not just us though, Scott (Miller) has brought in some other very experienced players and as a squad we’re looking quite strong.
“The team is very much together at the moment and if we stick to the coaches’ game plan we should be able to get a result.”
Despite the Jets meeting the Glory for the second time in two years at home, former Adelaide man Watson said that the match will be very different to last season.
“The Glory are a different team to what they were last year but they’re still very dangerous,” Watson said.
“They’re kind of in a similar situation to us in the fact that there have been a lot of changes to the playing roster.
“We just need to focus on what we’ve been working on in training and doing the basics right, like remaining structured and building a solid foundation for good things up front.”
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Watson added that the key to having a good run in the Cup is by entering every match with finals intensity.
“We need to remember that there is something there to win at the end,” Watson said.
“It’s important to understand that it’s an opportunity to win a title and you’ve got to make most of that because you may not get another chance in your career.
“We really need to take it one game at a time and get past Perth because every game in this competition is a final.”
After beating the Jets in the Round of 32 last season the Glory went all the way to FFA Cup final where they were defeated 1-0 by Adelaide.
Boogaard said that the victory was one of the highlights of his career and the centre back is keen to try and claim the title for a second year running.
“It’s a great competition to play in and last year was a great success because nobody was really sure how much attention the A-League clubs were going to give it,” Boogaard said.
“At Adelaide we gave a lot of emphasis to the competition and a lot of the older players were adamant that we really have a go at trying to win it.
“It was my first taste of silverware at Adelaide and it would be nice to go all the way again.”
While Boogaard and Watson are both keen to have a strong showing in the competition they acknowledge that it’s also a great opportunity for the fans to get their first look at the new Jets.
“This is our first real competitive match and we can use it as a platform the rest of the season,” Boogaard said.
“Hopefully we get a good crowd out there and the fans will see us giving everything we’ve got and really going out there trying to win the match.
“As players we’ve got an opportunity at this club to be a part of something really special and the FFA Cup is going to be the start of that,” he said.
