Another edition of the A-League’s original and fiercest derby match will take place at Bluetongue Stadium on Saturday.
Another edition of the A-League-s original and fiercest derby match will take place at Bluetongue Stadium in Gosford when the Newcastle Jets face the Central Coast Mariners on Saturday night.
The two clubs share one of the most closely contested head-to-head records in the A-League after 28 games played. The Mariners have 10 victories to the Jets- nine, while there have also been nine draws.
For the Jets to square the ledger this Saturday, they-ll have to go against the history books and secure their first win at Bluetongue Stadium in their last seven outings at the venue.
The Jets won the first F3 Derby of the season with a 2-1 victory at home, but the Mariners responded in Round 10 with a double from Daniel McBreen giving them a 2-0 win at Hunter Stadium.
There is plenty at stake for both clubs, with the Mariners looking to maintain first position on the ladder, while the Jets are eager to cement their spot in the top six and history shows that neither side will be willing to take a backward step.
For evidence of the fiercely-contested nature of F3 Derby fixtures, one only has to look as far as the 100 yellow cards and seven red cards dished out in matches between the Jets and Mariners.
Jets Members and supporters can expect more of the same on Saturday, but to get them in the mood a little earlier, newcastlejets.com.au has decided to take a look back at five of the most memorable F3 Derbies…
2005 Oceania Club Championship qualifier
The tone for this ferocious local rivalry was set in the first ever competitive match between the clubs when Mariners striker Nik Mrdja broke the leg of Jets defender Andrew Durante with a horrible, studs-up tackle.
2008/09 Round 1 – Jets 1, Mariners 1
The Jets kicked off their Championship defence by hosting the Mariners at home in Round 1. After falling behind in the 87th minute, the Jets managed to snatch a point thanks to Joel Griffiths- stoppage time penalty.
2012/13 Round 3 – Jets 2, Mariners 1
In the first F3 Derby of the current season, former England international Emile Heskey scored his first goal at Hunter Stadium after some classy lead-up work by James Virgili. The goal proved decisive as the Jets held-off a late comeback from the Mariners to secure a 2-1 victory in front of 15,289 fans.
2007/08 Semi-Final – Jets 2, Mariners 0
In the first leg of their semi-final playoff against the Mariners, the Jets secured a convincing 2-0 win courtesy of goals to Adam and Joel Griffiths. The Mariners overturned the deficit in second leg, but the Jets would have the last laugh…
2007/08 A-League Grand Final – Jets 1, Mariners 0
In the greatest F3 Derby of them all, the Jets secured their first A-League Championship with a 1-0 win over the Mariners in front of 36,354 fans at the Sydney Football Stadium. Mark Bridge-s strike past Danny Vukovic in the 64th minute of the contest proved to be the difference between the two sides on a day that will live on in the memory of Jets fans forever.
What’s your favourite F3 Derby moment? Let us know in the comments section below.
