Ruben Zadkovich says the Jets are determined to finish the regular season on a high in front of their loyal Members and supporters.
Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets captain Ruben Zadkovich says the Jets are determined to finish the regular season on a high in front of their loyal Members and supporters at Hunter Stadium on Friday.
A win for their Jets will keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the Hyundai A-League Finals Series, should the result of the Sydney FC v Perth Glory match on Sunday also fall in their favour.
However, Zadkovich said regardless of whether the Jets finish in the top six, there was a strong desire within the playing squad to reward the Club-s Members for their support this season with an impressive performance in their final home game.
“We really want to get a win for our fans,” Zadkovich said.
“We think it-s important either way, irrespective of whether we make the finals, we think it-s important to go out on a good note.
“Our Members have been first class at our last few home games and they-ve been fantastic throughout the year to be honest and they-ll be the extra man we need on Friday night.
“It-s a massive game, it-s all come down to this last round which is very typical of the A-League.
“It-s a fantastic opportunity for us to go out and give a really solid performance in front of our Members, then we-ll cross our fingers and wait and see what Sydney do.
“Anything can happen in football, that-s the beauty of it and it will make for an interesting wait on Sunday if we can get the result.”
Zadkovich said the Jets had put the disappointment of surrendering leads in their last two matches behind them ahead of Friday-s crucial match.
“We were a little bit disappointed with the last couple of weeks and how we-ve let a couple of results slip away at the end of matches,” Zadkovich said.
“We-ve just been working really hard on the training pitch to try and make sure we get it right at this last opportunity, and we-re confident we can win this game against Adelaide
“It-s just a matter of all eleven players turning up on the day and putting in a really good shift, a really good performance and being positive.”
Zadkovich said that while the Jets would have to be wary of the threats posed by the Reds- line-up, he was confident the Jets would be just as dangerous as their opponents in the attacking third.
“It-ll take a very structured performance for us to nullify their footballing qualities,” Zadkovich said.
“They play a very attractive style of football and they-ve got some very talented players.
“I feel that we can definitely exploit their backline with someone like Adam Taggart who is just on fire at the moment.
“He-s blessed that he gets to play a little bit higher than Emile Heskey who is another first class player that provides so many opportunities for him.
“As a unit we have to work really hard to get our shape and our structure right first and foremost and that will give us a chance to go and score some goals.”
Zadkovich said he hoped to see a big turnout on Friday to farewell Jets fan-favourite Michael Bridges.
“I can say on a personal level, playing with Bridgey for so many years, he-s a fantastic guy and a fantastic player and he-s been a really good mentor and firend to me,” Zadkovich said.
“He-ll be sorely missed and I-m looking forward to this game to run out there with him one last time.”
Newcastle Jets v Adelaide United
Friday, April 11
Hunter Stadium
Kick-off 7.30pm
Tickets available from PROticket.
