All the big talking points ahead of the clash in the Hunter.
Can either side break the drought?
Despite sitting above both Perth and the Central Coast, it has been a long time between drink for Newcastle and (to a lesser extent) their visitors Wellington. In fact neither side has picked up all three points for over a month, with the Nix’s last success coming in the form of a shock 2-0 win over Melbourne Victory back in round nine, while the Jets’ most recent win came all the way back in round four, when they defeated Melbourne City 3-2 on the road. But thanks to other results, the Nix still sit within touching distance of the top six. The gap between themselves and Adelaide is now four points, while Newcastle slide daringly close to the wooden spoon.
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The Jets facing unwanted record
Further cause for concern for Newcastle is their frustrating efforts up front, with a struggling Milos Trifunovic and co. seeing the side go six games without a goal. With their current goal drought stretching to 559 minutes, the Jets have just 47 minutes to bag a goal before claiming the unwanted record of longest streak in the A-League without finding the back of the net– held by Wellington’s predecessor, New Zealand Knights, set in 2006-07. However it is not all bad news for Newcastle fans, with the side boasting a solid run of goals against the Nix at Hunter Stadium, having managed eight in their last three home games against Wellington.
Wellington’s ailing attack
While the New Zealanders are hardly in the same dire straights as the Jets attack, the loss of Roy Krishna to a lengthy ankle injury, combined with further absences and suspensions, has seen the Nix’s depth tested, and the side fail to score more than one goal a game since its win in round nine. With that in mind, Ernie Merrick will be relived to see Roly Bonevacia return to the squad after serving his suspension to slot back into the playmaker role alongside Michael McGlinchy and in behind Blake Powell. Although the Jets back line has struggled to keep a clean sheet since their decline in goals, the Nix cannot afford to drop further off the pace of the top six by failing to penetrate the home side’s defence.
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