Newcastle Jets Head Coach Mark Jones has challenged his side to show how good of a football team they have become when the Club hosts Perth Glory at McDonald Jones Stadium this Sunday.
Speaking with local media prior to the Club’s second last training session before the bout with Perth, Jones spoke positively about the confidence he has in his players to do the job against Kenny Lowe’s charges.
Jones – who is a former Assistant Coach at Glory – urged his side to send the Club’s Members and fans home happy from their round 15 meeting with the purple-whites, which will kick off at 5:00pm.
“I think it’s (Sunday’s match) a good opportunity for us to consolidate and keep on a roll,” Jones said.
“If we can keep winning then we will keep putting space on the teams below us, and keep chasing the sides that are further up the table.”
“It’s a game that we can win and playing at home there is a lot in our favour.”
“It’s one of those games that if we are a good football team, then we need to go out and execute and get a result,” he said.
The Jets defeated Glory 2-1 in the west in round 10, snapping an 11-year winless run against Lowe’s team away from home.
Since the commencement of the Hyundai A-League in 2005 Glory has won 10 of 17 meetings between the two Clubs played in Newcastle.
But while history may lean in favour of the West Australians, Jones said his men have shown that they can turn the statistics upside down this season and prove many pundits wrong.
“There are a lot of things in history that we have beaten and got past this year,” Jones said. “I am one that believes that if things haven’t gone well for a long time, then they will go well.”
“We can match up against anyone in the league. It’s about us being confident that we are as good as anyone we play against.”
The Jets mentor said that training this week had been of a high quality following the Club’s success against Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium last Saturday.
In fact, Jones pinpointed the triumph over Glory in the west in December as the moment his team truly began to click.
“Confidence makes the quality of the sessions better and the boys have been training very well in the last two or three weeks,” he explained.
“The result in Perth gave them a lot of confidence and we have been excellent since.”
“The crowd in general and the perception of the public I get is that they are very appreciated of the way that we are trying to play football,” he concluded.
Newcastle Jets vs. Perth Glory – Hyundai A-League 2016/17 Round 15
When: Sunday 15 January 2017
Where: McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Kick-off: 5:00pm
Tickets: Please click here to purchase match tickets
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on Fox Sports 505 from 4:30pm (AEDT) and Sky Sport 1 (New Zealand)
Radio Broadcast: 1233 ABC Newcastle, ABC Radio Perth, ABC Local Radio WA, Grandstand Digital, Online & via the ABC Radio Mobile App – A-League Live
Social Media: Join the match conversation using #NEWvPER
Newcastle Jets Preliminary Squad: 2.Daniel MULLEN, 3.Jason HOFFMAN, 4.Nigel BOOGAARD (C), 6.Steven UGARKOVIC, 7.Andrew HOOLE, 8.Mateo POLJAK, 9.Aleksandr KOKKO, 10.Wayne BROWN, 15.Andrew NABBOUT, 16.Nicholas COWBURN, 18.MA Leilei, 19.Morten NORDSTRAND, 20.Jack DUNCAN (gk), 22.Lachlan JACKSON, 23.Devante CLUT, 28.John KOUTROUMBIS, 30.Pierce CLARK (gk)
**one to be omitted**
Ins: 9.Aleksandr KOKKO (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 1.Ben KENNEDY (gk) (achilles – season), 5.Ben KANTAROVSKI (knee – 1-3 weeks), 13.Ivan VUJICA (hamstring – 3-5 weeks), 21.Daniel ALESSI (knee – season)
Perth Glory Preliminary Squad: 2.Alex GRANT, 3.Marc WARREN, 4.Shane LOWRY, 7.Joel CHIANESE, 8.Rostyn GRIFFITHS (C), 9.Andy KEOGH, 10.Nebojsa MARINKOVIC, 13.Nicholas FEELY (gk), 14.Chris HAROLD, 15.Brandon WILSON, 16.Joe MILLS, 17.Diego CASTRO, 19.Josh RISDON, 20.Aryn WILLIAMS, 22.Adam TAGGART, 23.Kosta PETRATOS, 24.Milan SMILJANIC, 33.Liam REDDY (gk)
**two to be omitted**
Ins: 3.Marc WARREN (promoted), 15.Brandon WILSON
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 6.Dino DJULBIC (suspended – 1 match), 18.Mitch OXBORROW (foot – 3 weeks)
