Summary
So a crucial point for last season’s fairytale side, Newcastle Jets, and how crucial could that prove to sparking their campaign. They lost Andrew Nabbout to overseas transfer, Roy O’Donovan to suspension and Joey Champness to injury, but with the chips seemingly down they’ve fashioned a morale-lifting comeback against the reigning premiers.
Sydney FC for their part seemed well in control, but were guilty perhaps of allowing the Jets back into the contest.
Ninkovic was at his imperial best, but he needed perhaps one other to step up around him in the FC front third.
Vargas was lively for the Jets, but again guilty of perhaps being wasteful - the confidence may not be back yet after that long injury layoff, and at times he and Jair still lacked cohesion.
An exciting end to the match, but it’s a result that could play into both Perth Glory or Adelaide United’s hands, who face off tomorrow and either of whom could go top with a win.
Elsewhere in round four, a big let off from the Wanderers who squandered a 2-0 lead against the Roar, to draw 2-2 in Mudgee.
A huge shock in Penrith meanwhile, where the Matildas went down 2-3 to a hard-working Chilean side, in a result that could prove costly for the World Cup seedings in France next year.
But a better result for the Australian women’s T20 side in their opening fixture in their World Cup in Guyana against Pakistan, and a record-breaking win for the Sydney Kings in the NBL.
Thanks for your company on another big day of sport, here on Saturday Sportswatch!
Full-time: Newcastle Jets 1-1 Sydney FC
90 + 6 min: They fire a series of crosses into the box, do Newcastle, but the Sydney FC defenders scramble well.
And there’s the whistle! A frenetic finish, and after such dominance, they were almost fortunate not to lose in the end, the reigning premiers.
90 + 4 min: Now it’s the Jets, pushing and fighting once more!
And Redmayne has come a long way to punch, just on the edge of his area, but it’s only as far as Cowburn! He’s about 5m inside the Sydney half, and the most likely of goalscorers almost becomes a hero!
He attempts the spectacular, but the 40m first time lob doesn’t find the net!
90 + 2 min: Wowee. And that said, it’s Sydney FC who almost snatch it!
A turnover and two brilliant quick balls from Le Fondre to Ninkovic, and then to the young sub Lokolingoy, who tries to curl round Moss, whose outstretched trailing foot just deflects it beyond the far post.
What a sucker punch that could have been!
90 min: Five added minutes - it’s surely going to be all Jets from here. They’ve been a touch subdued this second half, Sydney.
89 min: The home crowd are right back in this game now, and even Dimi Petratos has a slight spring in his heels again.
A lofted ball through for Vargas, but he’s fractionally offside.
Goal! Newcastle Jets 1-1 Sydney FC (Cowburn)
86 min: Hawaaay, the lads! It’s a first-ever A-League goal, on his 60th appearance, for the most unlikely of goalscorers!
A terrific ball from Petratos, Cowburn with the run towards the near post and the zonal defence didn’t pick him up. He got there first and there was little Redmayne could do!
How about that.
85 min: Big opportunity for the Jets here, as van der Linden handles the ball, receives a yellow card and concedes the freekick.
Petratos is over it - can he pick out a teammate with this? Imagine an equaliser at this stage of the game!
81 min: A careless error from Petratos - in fairness he’s not been at his best tonight. There were times last season when he and Andrew Nabbout were just unstoppable, but he’s badly missing his partner in crime, the recent Socceroo.
Ten minutes or so to find something, the home side.
78 min: It’s a clever pass from the left back Lachlan Jackson, for the replacement Sheppard, and they’ve earned a corner, the Jets.
It’s lofted in from Petratos, but that’s an easy claim for Redmayne.
75 min: It’s a long lofted ball over that finds Hoffman, but under pressure from Grant he screws his final shot well away from Redmayne’s goal. He’s not really been tested tonight, the Sydney FC custodian.
Meanwhile Le Fondre goes in the book for a foul. We haven’t seen too many cards tonight; in fairness, there’s not been much malice in this one.
72 min: A sublime touch from Ninkovic, who almost keeps a lost ball in with a terrific flick back. It’s an underrated part of his game, but for a No 10 he does do a terrific amount of work for his side, and unlike many of the better paid overseas players that arrive in the A-League he looks as hungry to play this season as he did in his first season.
68 min: That’s the end of the shift for the Brazilian, as Jair makes way for Kane Sheppard. What can the Englishman do to change the contest?
Steve Corica also begins to ponder his changes, with the 35-year-old Brosque the likely man to depart first.
65 min: And as if to show the difference of confidence - from almost an identical position to where Jair has received the ball twice, Milos Ninkovic has just trapped the ball, played a short one-two with Brosque before arrowing a shot for the bottom right-hand corner - but Moss scrambles across!
A fine save, but a textbook example of how to fashion something from nothing - if the belief is there.
61 min: Another cheap turnover, this is uncharacteristic from Sydney, but with ball at foot, Jair can’t quite find the right option. Almost too much time, but at least it’s brought the crowd back into this contest. They need to lift, the Jets. What can they fashion?
58 min: At risk of de-ja-vu, it’s Grant, into Brosque, who fires a flicked near post header.. but this time it’s the wrong side of Moss’ upright!
He’s looking so dangerous already this season, Grant, he must surely be close to reckoning for Graham Arnold’s forthcoming Socceroos squad.
54 min: A wicked ball whipped across the face by Ninkovic and Adam Le Fondre is just millimetres away from getting a toe to that ahead of the on-rushing Newcastle ‘keeper, Glen Moss.
I was about to say he’s looked quite tonight, Le Fondre, but then anyone who’s seen him in action this season will remind you - he doesn’t need much!
51 min: A lively few moments for the Jets, as Newcastle appeal for a handball inside the box, but it’s very much ball to hand (in front of the body) so play on. Before a rare cheap turnover sees Vargas through but pushed wide; but his jinked attempt to catch Redmayne off his line is off target.
48 min: And a reminder, if it stays like this, after just four rounds the Jets will sit NINE points behind Sydney FC. It a position the would-be title challengers won’t want to even contemplate.
Second half!
45 min: So a big second stanza ahead for the Jets, what can Merrick’s men muster?
Half-time: Newcastle Jets 0-1 Sydney FC
45 + 2 min: And, that’s enough, says referee Shaun Evans, as he blows the whistle the end the opening stanza.
But for all their dominance, Sydney FC, they lead through what was effectively a goalkeeping error.
A big challenge for the vastly experienced Ernie Merrick to get his chargers back into this contest.
44 min: Jets with half a chance, but the final ball just isn’t there.
It’s a remarkable thing; psychology. Something like eight of the players that started last year’s A-League grand final were the same that 15 months earlier had gone to Wellington on a wet night and lost 5-0 to a struggling Nix team, missing six international players.
Some of the balls played tonight, they’re looking like the earlier incarnation of those Jets players.
40 min: Brosque with a good chance .. but he blazes high towards the near post!
Bizarrely, he argues with the linesman, as if to suggest he thought he was offside, hence the carelessness with the final shot.
By all accounts he’s a lovely man, Alex Brosque, but sheesh. He could start a bar fight in an empty scout hall, couldn’t he?
35 min: They look to play tight, sharp passing, Sydney, but on this occasion they just can’t find a way through a resolute Jets backline.
They looked mesmeric at times against the Wanderers in the derby with passing like this, and made a much-vaunted Melbourne City outfit look incredibly pedestrian last week.
30 min: And after that bright start, they’ve gone a little bit off the boil, the home side. Sydney’s midfield holders O’Neill and Brillante, as they do so often, have begun to squeeze the space and the life out of the middle of the park.
Updated
25 min: The same combination of Grant and Brosque almost combines to perfection once again, but he can’t find the final touch, the veteran striker. They’re looking imperious once again, Sydney FC - so much for the end of the Graham Arnold era?
In theory, he’s a rookie coach, Steve Corica, but he’s making this whole A-League caper look easy so far.
Goal! Newcastle Jets 0-1 Sydney FC (Brosque)
19 min: Ooph. It has to go down as a goalkeeping error, but the Sydney FC skipper continues his prolific scoring run against the Jets, as he nods home the opener!
Grant with a decent clipped ball in, Brosque with a well-angled near post header, and it squirms under the body of the former New Zealand international.
Updated
18 min: A few stepovers, as Ronnie Vargas looks to stand up Grant, but Brandon O’Neill steps in at the concession of a corner. The Venezuelan fires in a dangerous ball, that only just evades the tall timber of Lachie Jackson, and Sydney clear.
14 min: Sydney starting to enjoy a little more control in midfield, as they look to get both fullbacks, Rhyan Grant and Michael Zullo, into the attack, but the final ball is well-cleared by the Jets defence.
9 min: Another impressive attack from Newcastle, and it’s Jair prominent once again. He dinks a terrific ball up for Dimi Petratos at the far post, but it’s just a touch too high and the Socceroo heads just over!
And having made the early running, inside 30 seconds they’re almost behind!
It’s a carbon copy of the early stages of their loss to Melbourne Victory last week, as Nikolai Topor-Stanley holds an inquest at the back as to how Sydney FC were able to fire one across the face of the goal there!
5 min: Both sides content to feel each other out, but then it’s a stoinking drive from the Brazilian import Jair who gets the home fans scrambling to the edge of their seats - but his effort is well saved at the near post by the visiting ‘keeper for Sydney FC, Andrew Redmayne.
Here’s how the two sides are lining up tonight, FYI:
How we take the field in this #RemembranceRound blockbuster! #NEWvSYD #MadeOfNewcastle pic.twitter.com/ItMXyzd9vN
— NEWCASTLE JETS FC ✈️ (@NewcastleJetsFC) November 10, 2018
LINEUP | Here's how your Sky Blues shape up for tonight's clash away against the Jets at McDonald Jones Stadium!
— Sydney FC (@SydneyFC) November 10, 2018
What do you make of the squad?#SydneyIsSkyBlue #ComeWithUs #NEWvSYD pic.twitter.com/radH0e3xcG
Kickoff!
And we’re underway in Newcastle for tonight’s feature A-League game, as last season’s grand finalists the Jets look to fire their thus-far spluttering campaign, against last year’s premiers, Sydney FC.
And an impressive hoodoo broken in the NBL today - here’s the Australian Associated Press’ report from today’s Adelaide v Sydney game:
The Sydney Kings have boosted their NBL finals prospects and smashed a long-standing hoodoo with a 93-81 away win over the Adelaide 36ers.
Adelaide-born Brad Newley (26 points), former Sixer Jerome Randle (23) and Kevin Lisch (20) starred on Saturday afternoon as third-placed Sydney snapped an 11-match losing streak against Adelaide.
It was their first win in 1094 days at Adelaide’s Titanium Security Arena.
Former NBA centre Andrew Bogut proved the perfect supportive foil for the trio with eight points, 13 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
Reserve Adelaide big man Harry Froling scored 15 of his career-high 23 points inside three inspirational minutes during the second quarter but, otherwise, the Kings were untroubled.
The visitors were focused and red-hot from the outset, storming to a 16-point lead during the first term which was delayed while blood was removed from the court after some friendly fire from Andrew Bogut’s elbow split import David Wear’s head open.
Sydney led 27-15 at quarter-time before Froling scored all 15 Adelaide points in a 15-7 run to help the hosts slice the margin to 52-43 at halftime.
The visitors were eight-of-12 from three-point land and continued to be hard to stop as they moved ahead 73-63 at three-quarter time.
Froling again provided punch off the bench in the fourth term but lacked support as Sydney cruised across the line, consigning the seventh-placed 36ers, last season’s grand finalists, to their fourth-straight defeat.
So a mixed day for some of Australia’s best-loved teams.
If you missed Australia’s opening match in the T20 World Cup in Guyana, it was a bright start to the campaign, with Alyssa Healy leading the way with both bat and gloves.
Not as positive for the Matildas, despite a record Sydney crowd turning out to watch them in Penrith, as they slumped to a 2-3 loss to a plucky Chilean outfit.
Full-time: Western Sydney Wanderers 2-2 Brisbane Roar
So, a first taste of A-League action for the people of Mudgee, and while treated to four goals, there’s a slight air of frustration as nobody lands a knockout punch.
Brisbane on the ropes early on, but the Wanderers - or should we say Squanderers - won’t have best pleased coach Markus Babbel in failing to see this one out from 2-0 up. A win would have seen Western Sydney jump to equal first on the table (but with Sydney, Perth and Adelaide with a game up their sleeve), but instead they’ll remain in fifth.
Updated
Five minutes of added time, and it’s a corner to Wanderers as Papadopoulos blocks another Sotirio effort, but at the cost of a corner.
They defend well, though, the Roar, and now a poor turnover from Risdon sees Henrique and Taggart charging forward for the Roar.
About five minutes of regulation time to play, and it’s the visitors seeming to sit back and ask the hosts to take the risks in chasing this game - perhaps that late scare from Sotirio has revised Brisbane’s ambitions in this one?
In fairness the draw could be the fair result, give the balance of possession (52-48% favouring the Roar) with both sides enjoying around a dozen shots on goal.
Updated
81’ Hits the post - Sotirio denied!
When your luck’s out, your luck’s out - for the second time in the game, and if you’ll believe this, for the 18th time in just FOUR rounds already this season, the Wanderers have been denied by the frame of the goal!
How’s that for a stat; and a desperate follow up block from Roar defender Daniel Bowles keeps his side in with a share of the points.
So about 20 minutes to play in this, the second A-League game of the round (after Melbourne City’s comfortable 2-0 win last night over the Phoenix), and it’s the visitors, Brisbane, making the better of the late running.
John Aloisi goes to his bench for the first time and brings on the popular super-sub Henrique for Mikkelsen. Can he be the hero, once again?
Just 5,067 have come out for this one in Mudgee, but terrific noise being made inside Glen Willow Stadium.
Updated
Goal! Wanderers 2-2 Roar (Taggart 48’ pen)
He didn’t endear himself to the fans of his former (and hometown) club Perth last week, converting a late penalty for Brisbane, and he’s struck from the spot once again.
From seemingly cruising at 2-0 up, Wanderers now have a tricky contest on their hands after the wily Eric Bautheac was fouled in the area by Alexander Baumjohann, and the seven-cap Socceroo Taggart stepped up to dispatch the penalty calmly.
Half-time: Western Sydney Wanderers 2-1 Brisbane Roar
It’s round four of A-League action, but it’s the unlikely venue of Glen Willow Stadium in Mudgee, NSW for today’s match - and curious onlookers have already been treated to some decent action.
Spanish sharp-shooter Oriel Riera had put the hosts firmly in the driver’s seat with two goals in the 10th and 17th minute.
But a compatriot of his, Alex Lopez, playing in the unfamiliar white of Brisbane gave the visitors a glimmer of hope leading into the break with a blazing strike from long range.
Preamble
A mixed day already for Australian international sides - the women’s cricket team opening their T20 World Cup campaign in solid fashion with a 52-run win over Pakistan, but the Matildas have suffered a rare home soil loss, going down 3-2 to Chile in a result that could have important ramifications for next June’s World Cup seedings.
Apart from that we’ve got A-League action, NBL and plenty more flying round - we’ll do our best to get round the grounds and bring you the latest, in your Saturday Sportswatch!
