Melbourne Knights put an end to Newcastle United's season-long unbeaten run with a last-gasp two-one victory at Somers Street on Sunday.
United had gone ahead just after the break when Robbie Middleby scored from close-range, but Knights' captain-coach Andrew Marth levelled just ten minutes later. Ivo De Jesus scored the winner from close-range with a last-minute strike, climbing the fence afterwards in exultant celebration.
Newcastle coach Ian Crook was sanguine about the end of United's unbeaten run. "We're obviously disappointed to lose," he said. "But the game's all about ninety minutes, and we've had a couple of games this season where we've nicked things late on. (When) we look at the bigger picture, it's our first loss, we're still third, and we need to push on from there."
Andrew Marth was delighted at Knights' win - only its second at home where its poor record has hampered its quest for Top Six safety.
"I was thinking when we went one-nil down - here we go again - but we didn't give up. We battled on, got a couple of goals, and I think we deserved it in the end," he said.
Middleby opened the scoring five minutes into the second-half after he'd made a storming run direct on goal which started at the half-way line and wide on the right. Esala Masi and Joel Griffiths made supporting runs either side, keeping the Knights' defence spread. Once Middleby had reached the edge of the area, he found Griffiths in a shooting position.
Griffiths' shot ballooned off Vargas and ran kindly for Middleby inside the area. Facing only Martin Johns, Middleby was able to shoot under the oncoming keeper, collecting a knock as he did so which required him to be replaced without further involvement.
"It's his ankle," said Crook after the game. "At the moment, it's just swollen badly, but when we get back to Newcastle we'll give it a check and see how it is over the next 48 hours."
Knight's equaliser came just ten minutes later after Joel Porter's cross from the left fell neatly to an unmarked Marth at the six-yard line. Marth's diving header gave United goalkeeper Daniel Beltrame no chance.
When Marth was asked if he was surprised to find himself free in that position, Crook answered before Marth could respond. "I was surprised he was free," he said to much laughter.
"So was I," said Marth. "I actually had a look (towards the assistant), I thought I was offside. I've looked, there's no-one there (marking), and said 'Oh, shit, I'm in here'.
"It was a great piece of vision by Joel to find me, I thought he was going to have a shot, but he chipped it perfectly to me and I couldn't miss."
Ivo De Jesus scored the winner with just one minute of regulation time remaining when he blasted-in from close-range after Toto Da Costa had ghosted behind the United defence to benefit from a diagonal ball from Andrew Marth. Da Costa's run took Beltrame out of his goal, and when Da Costa sent the ball into the box, De Jesus was there to bang it home.
"We had to get the monkey off our back and win at home," said De Jesus. "It's always nice to do it against a team like Newcastle, (which is) one of the few teams in the league (which) tries and plays football."
First-half action had thrown-up few chances, and fitful ones at that.
Griffiths had a good opportunity to set up Matthew Bingley after he'd made a productive run down the right and drew Roddy Vargas and Sasha Ognenovski towards him as he neared the byeline. With Bingley free and square, Griffith's pass was mis-directed and the opportunity was lost.
Ognenovski was to create the next chance from nothing, letting fly from fully forty metres, and with the aid of a following wind, watched as hit shot only just cleared the bar.
As if heartened by Ognenovski's effort, De Jesus launched a long range effort of his own just two minutes later after he latched onto a clearance by Esala Masi from a corner.
United's Scott Baillie had a shot cleared off the line by Ivan Jolic just five minutes before the break when Vargas's headed clearance from a corner fell handily to where Baillie was patrolling at the edge of the area.
Porter had the half's last opportunity when he was found by a perfectly-struck De Jesus diagonal pass and galloped goalwards after controlling the ball on his chest at full running speed. Porter's shot from an acute angle cleared Beltrame and lobbed onto the top of the net.
The action continued into the second-half with little abatement.
In between the goals, Griffiths had a shot just after the hour from the edge of the 18-yard area which brought out a marvellous diving save from Johns.
In the Newcastle goal, Beltrame needed to make a diving save of his own to deflect wide a stinging Marth free-kick just minutes later.
Griffiths for Newcastle, and Daniel Vasilevski for Knights both had chances to grab the lead, Griffiths' shot sailing over the bar from close-range when just eight yards out directly in front - Vasilevski with a shot blocked by Beltrame's legs after he'd wriggled clear down the right and into the box.
But it was De Jesus' first goal from open play that gave the Knights its late-late win, and sent its support home with a realistically-founded confidence that Knights have a good chance of staying in contention over the second half of the season.