A place in the FFA Cup Semi Finals was on the line as Newcastle travelled to Coopers Stadium for their Quarter Final clash with Adelaide United.
Ernie Merrick had the luxury of naming an unchanged starting line up from that which beat Edgeworth 5-1 in the competition’s Round of 16 just three weeks prior.
It was a cagey opening to the game in Adelaide but things took a turn for the worse for the Jets after Lewis Italiano was shown a straight red card for a mistimed challenge in the 11th minute.
Nick Fitzgerald was the unlucky player to make way as Glen Moss entered the fray, and it wasn’t long before he was called into action, tipping Nathan Konstandopoulos’s free-kick around the right post.
A ten-man Jets were on the back foot from that point, with Glen Moss called into action with a series of superb stops as the Jets held firm.
Just when Newcastle looked like they would survive until the break, the Reds went ahead with under five minutes remaining in the opening half when Al Hassan Toure poked home from 3 yards to give Adelaide the lead.
Nikolai Topor-Stanley replaced Patrick Langlois at the break, and the Jets were forced into using their third and final substitution when Wes Hoolahan was forced from the field through injury in the 48th minute. He was replaced by Angus Thurgate.
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first with Adelaide controlling possession, with the depleted Jets forced to rely on set pieces and counter attacks for the sights of goal.
As the half wore on Adelaide were unable to kill the game off with a number of Reds missing the chances to double their lead.
The final ten minutes of the match threw up a few chances for the Jets – Dimi Petratos let fly from outside the area and Abdiel Arroyo did similarly – but neither attempts bore fruit for Newcastle.
Focus will now turn to this weekend’s trip to Dubbo and Orange for the #JetsTOUR, thanks to Greater Bank, and a friendly against Hyundai A-League Champions, Sydney FC.
