Jets take all three points at Wanderland

Perhaps it was fatigue after their midweek Asian Champions League encounter or more likely their Novocastrian opponents were simply too good, but the Wanderers stumbled at home for the second time in five days.

The Wanderers suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Newcastle Jets who scored a goal in each half: Kew Jaliens in the first stanza of play and Adam Taggart in the second half.

There was not a lot to satisfy Wanderers’ mentor Tony Popovic after this performance and the team will need to improve next week away at Allianz Stadium against cross-town rivals Sydney FC.

On the other hand, the Newcastle Jets continue their hot and cold season which must be making rookie coach Clayton Zane age more rapidly than he expected. However, he won’t be complaining about taking all three points at Pirtek Stadium in Parramatta.

Adam Taggart had the first half-chance of the game with a shot from long distance that went sailing over the crossbar. A minute later he found himself setting up Emile Heskey but the marquee Englishman, from just inside the box, shot over the crossbar.

Luckily for him there were not that many Newcastle Jets supporters present at Parramatta’s Pirtek Stadium because in England he would have been loudly jeered by his own fans for such a poor attempt.

 The Wanderers replied almost immediately through their own marquee player Shinji Ono but his diagonal shot went wide of goal.

Shinji Ono found Youssouf Hersi but he couldn’t find the target with his header and shortly afterwards Mark Bridge dangerously entered the box but lost the ball under a challenge from Zenon Caravella.

Heskey could well have scored after receiving the ball from Griffiths but his shot was well saved by Ante Covic who turned away it for a corner. It was arguably Newcastle’s best chance of the first stanza of play.

The visitors took the lead from a Kew Jaliens header after a lovely cross from Andrew Hoole. It wasn’t so much the header that surprised but the fact that Jaliens was virtually left unmarked by the normally tight and reliable Wanderers defence.

The Wanderers replied almost immediately with an Ono shot that was deflected away for a corner. Late in the half, a superb Jerome Polenz cross found Labinot Haliti in the box but his header sailed narrowly over the intended target.

In the second half the best of the early chances fell to the Wanderers when Haliti again found himself with an opportunity but his shot was deflected away for a corner.

At the other end Adam Taggart in the 58th minute found himself facing Ante Covic and the Wanderers custodian was up to the task with a great save to prevent the goal. However, Taggart didn’t have to wait too long before he finally scored for the visitors.

When Heskey gave him the ball, he managed to get his shot away under pressure from some defenders and the ball finished in the back of the net away from Covic in part thanks to a deflection from Matthew Spiranovic.

 With the Jets up by two goals, there seemed to be some fatigue setting in for the Wanderers especially since they had to play their Asian Champions League match on Wednesday night.

During week the Wanderers will need to seriously collect their thoughts and regroup because on Saturday night at Allianz Stadium they will be facing Sydney FC in the derby and the Sky Blues will be desperate for a win especially after suffering an undeserved loss to the Central Coast Mariners.



WS WANDERERS: Covic, Spiranovic, D’Apuzzo, Polenz, Topor-Stanley, Hersi (76’ Appiah-Kubi), Haliti (62’ Santalab), Ono, Mooy (65’ Trifiro), Poljak, Bridge.

NEWCASTLE: Birighitti, Jaliens, Caravella, Gallaway, Mitchell, Brillante, Griffiths (70’ Virgili), Zadkovich, Taggart (87’ Oxborrow), Hoole (80’ Gibbs), Heskey.