Jets v Adelaide

A-League report by Robert Szomolnocki
Newcastle United Jets v Adelaide United


The Jets have flown off the bottom of the ladder with an impressive 3-1 win over Adelaide United at Energy stadium Australia.

It had been 5 matches since the Jets scored and it was amazingly the 3rd meeting between the two teams this year.

It starts wonderfully for the home side, in the 4th minute a Wehrman corner finds Topor-Stanley to head home to score his first ever A-League goal.

The Reds have their first opportunity when Ruben Zadkovich heads a corner straight to Reid who curls one just wide.

On 12 minutes a Adam D'Apuzzo through ball has Jesic clear but Fyfe puts in a last ditch tackle, it gets better one minute later as the resultant corner is cleared to Kasey Wehrman his cross finds Nikolai Topor-Stanley who chests down to a on rushing Jesic he calmly fires into the corner of the goal its 2-0 Jets.

It could have been well and truly over as early as the 16th minute as a Zadkovich cross beats the Reds defence and Jesic just needs a touch but fails to connect in front of goal.

On 19 minutes Francis Jeffers is released and shows power in his shot but it is blocked by Fyfe.

The Reds show they are still the match as a quickly taken free kick finds Joe Keenan in front of goal he has time to have a strike, but he blasts it narrowly just wide.

On 34 minutes the Jets break beautifully, Marko Jesic finds Tarek Elrich who crosses for Ali Abbas who heads narrowly wide from directly in front. One minute later the Reds can get back into the game Sergio van Dijk has a free kick directly in front of goal but his shot hits the leaping Ljubo Milicevic in the wall and the ball deflects wide.

With half time approaching the crowd rise to their feet as Kantarovski plays a beautiful through ball for Jeffers who is in the clear and just Eugene Galekovic to beat, the ex-Arsenal star chips the Goal Keeper but the ball strikes Galekovic head and goes wide.

Its 2-0 Jets at half time.

Travis Dodd comes on for Fabian Barbiero at half time as the Reds try to save this game.

The Jets go further ahead in a sweeping move on 52 minutes Wehrman finds Jeffers who cleverly finds Jesic who blasts it in the top left hand corner its 3-0 Jets.

On 54 minutes A D'Apuzzo free kick finds Topor-Stanley his close range touch is deflected wide

Cassio is still trying hard for the visitors his cross almost finds van Dijk but Ben Kennedy intercepts. Adelaide now dominate proceeding as they try to pull a goal back Keenan finds Lucas Pantelis but Milicevic blocks the cross. Iain Ramsay looks pacey since coming on and his dangerous cross is cleared by Milicevic. Then van Dijk rides three challenges to get a shot in, it takes a brilliant diving save by Kennedy to keep the ball out.

Finally on 79 minutes a Cassio free kick finds Iain Fyfe who heads past a poorly positioned Kennedy its 3-1.

The remaining minutes has the visitors pressing but they can't pull back a further goal, Cassio freekick is blocked and van Dijk shot is also blocked, it finishes 3-1 Jets.