Perth have put a week of controversy behind them with a 2-0 victory away against the Newcastle Jets. Usual suspects Andy Keogh and Nebojsa Marinkovic both found the back of the net in the second-half to rejuvenate the Gory’s season with their second win in as many games following nine without claiming three points.
A record low attendance of 4,162 witnessed the Jets yet again struggle in front of goal. They have only struck twice in their last six games. Despite having 20 goal attempts Danny Vukovic left Hunter Stadium with another clean sheet.
The first goal came after 50 minutes. Sidnei’s long range shot was well saved by Ben Kennedy, but Jamie Maclaren was first to react and did well to find the head of the Irish striker, who netted for the first time in three games.
He then turned provider for Marinkovic’s goal, the Serbian took a few touches before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the inside of the right post
The loss for the Jets means they are rooted to the bottom of the table while Perth move to equal first behind the Melbourne Victory ahead of their vital clash against Sydney FC next week.
Formations
Head Coach Phil Stubbins made just one change to the side that was defeated by Adelaide United last week with Jacob Pepper making way for returning Olyroo Andrew Hoole. That move led to a tactical change by the Englishman who opted for a 4-2-3-1 rather than a 5-2-3
Newcastle Jets starting XI: Kennedy (GK); Cowburn, Mullen, Regan, Lee; Kantarovski, Caravella; Alivodic, Cooper, Hoole
Kenny Lowe made two changes to the side that won their first match in nine matches last week. Jamie Maclaren and Dragan Paljic were both named in the starting side, replacing Mitch Nichols and Chris Harold.
Richard Garcia and Dragan Paljic played in behind the attacking trio as Lowe went for a more attacking approach to the game.
Perth Glory starting XI: Vukovic (GK); Risdon, Djulbic, Thwaite, Jamieson; Griffiths, Garcia, Paljic; Maclaren, Keogh, Sidnei
Jets cannot knock down Great Wall of Perth
The Jets have had a lot troubles in front of goal this season and that continued on Monday night. The Perth Glory defence have also been rock solid this year and they blocked up to six Newcastle shots. The men in red and blue tried their luck from outside and inside the box but that end result was the same.
This was evidenced on two occasions. The first came in the 30th minute when Mitch Cooper intelligently sent Enver Alivodic one-on-one with Vukovic. The Glory custodian saved the initial shot, Thwaite blocked Montano’s follow up, continuing his poor run of luck in front of goal this season.
It happened again midway through the second-half. A rare fumble by the former Mariner goalkeeper presented Hoole with what looked to be a certain goal only for Djulbic to somehow get his body in the way to deny the young winger. Perth have built their season around their strong defence and it was once again on show as their tight marking and desperate defending thwarted any chance of Newcastle getting on the scoresheet.
The above infographic shows the shots Newcastle had with the ones blocked in yellow.
Lowe tinkers formation to great effect.
Going away from their traditional 4-3-3 Kenny Lowe changed the Perth Glory formation, however, their high pressing, counter attacking style was still the game plan implemented.
The Glory head coach kept Marinkovic on the bench, choosing to go with Garcia and Paljic behind Maclaren, Sidnei and Keogh.
Playing with five in attack gave them the opportunity to dominant and attack the final third. The former ladder leaders created many chances inside Newcastle’s 18-yard-box
During the latter stages of the match defensive-midfielder Diogo Ferreira was introduced into the fray replacing Olyroo forward Maclaren as they saw themselves on the other end of an attacking barrage. The introduction of Ferreira strengthened things up in the middle and allowed Perth to go on to win the match.
Newcastle Jets conclusion
360 minutes have passed since the Jets last scored at Hunter Stadium and Phil Stubbins’ men have only scored 18 goals this season. Despite creating more than enough chances to score, the Perth defence was able to hold on for a clean sheet and frustrate the Newcastle players. This has become a constant problem this season for the former Adelaide assistant, who has seemingly used every trick in his arsenal. The only thing missing is the polish on the finish.
Perth Glory conclusion
The A-League keeps throwing curveballs at the Perth Glory but have knocked every challenge handed to them out of the park. The Western Australians continued to show that not even serious salary cap allegations can faze them. Whether it can stop them from winning the Premier’s Plate remains to be seen. They meet Sydney at home this Friday in a match that could decide who finishes where this season.
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