A lone goal from Steven Ugarkovic was enough for the Newcastle Jets to record a 1-o win over the Central Coast Mariners in this evening’s F3 derby.
Scott Miller’s men were able to keep their slim finals hopes alive by taking maximum points continuing their recent run of form which sees them undefeated in their past four which has not happened since late 2013. While the Mariners remain rooted to the bottom of the table 10 points behind ninth-placed Wellington Phoenix.
Ugarkovic’s 57th minute goal was his first for the club and it meant that the Mariners have now gone 23 games without keeping a clean sheet.
Jets break Gosford hoodoo
You have to go back eight years to find the last time the Newcastle Jets defeated the Mariners at Central Coast Stadium. January 12, 2008 was the date when Joel Griffiths and James Holland got themselves on the scoresheet to earn the Jets a 2-1 win over the side they would defeat in the grand final six weeks later.
The @NewcastleJetsFC record just their second win from 18 matches at Central Coast Stadium; only other win was in Rd 20 2007-08 #F3Derby
— Fox Sports Lab (@FoxSportsLab) February 28, 2016
Today the win did nothing but give them three points to keep the pressure on Perth Glory, Sydney FC, and the Melbourne Victory but a win is a win and there is now a big monkey off the Newcastle Jets’ back.
Mariners destined for maiden wooden spoon/Jets slim finals hopes alive
The defeat today was the Mariners’ 15th of the season. In Graham Arnold’s three full seasons in charge from 2010-2013 he only lost 16 times which shows how far the humble Gosford side have fallen in such a short amount of time. They are now 10 points behind ninth-placed Wellington Phoenix and with trips to Perth and Western Sydney, as well as a clash with Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC, it is hard to see the Mariners pick up any more wins this season. However, Tony Walmsley and his men will want to avoid equalling or breaking the record for most losses in a season which is currently held by the defunct North Queensland Fury with 19.
What a victory, c'mon @NewcastleJetsFC #CCMvNEW #F3Derby pic.twitter.com/CmsDbg86yB
— Nicholas Rayner (@aussienick) February 28, 2016
The F3 Derby is dead
In the first few seasons of the A-League, the F3 Derby was one of the most anticipated fixtures on the calendar. In fact, the feud was ignited in the 2005-06 pre-season cup when Nik Mrdja broke Andrew Durante’s leg. They went on to play in the 2005-06 finals and the 2008 grand final. But since then the rivalry has turned into just another fixture. This is becoming more and more evident with each match. Only 7528 people were in attendance to watch two sides at the lower end of the table battle out in a match that lacked the fire and intensity a derby should.
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