Newcastle Jets 2-2 Central Coast Mariners: F3 Derby serves up a treat

Arguably the clash of the round produced an amazing A-League spectacle, as Newcastle and Central Coast drew 2-2 in their infamous local derby. The game was full of great play and even greater passion as the two teams sparked into action in the second half.

The first half was mediocre to begin, with Central Coast controlling proceedings for the first 10 minutes. Mitchell Duke and Marcos Flores continued to cause havoc in the Newcastle backline, as Newcastle succumbed to sitting back and defending for their lives in the first 15. But soon after, Newcastle began to find their feet, with their speedy front three of Burns, Taggart and Hoole causing headaches. Hoole continued to mess with the Mariners backline, getting behind the line constantly, whilst Burns found success on the left hand side. The teams went into half time level amidst a push and shove between numerous players. The second half was set for a great viewing.

And a great viewing it was, as Newcastle came roaring out of the blocks. The Jets controlled the opening minutes, and were rewarded in the 51^st minute as unlikely candidate Scott Neville broke the deadlock. A slick free kick tactic saw Zadkovich played Burns in behind, who’s effort could have been better dealt with by Justin Pasfield. The keeper than pulled off a great reflex save, only for the ball to fall to Neville, who stuck out his left boot to make it 1-0.

However, if Pasfield was slightly disappointed by his performance on the first goal, he’ll wish never to see the second again. A tame back pass by Trent Sainsbury was played to Pasfield, as Taggart steamed forward to pressure the goalkeeper. His pressure paid off, as Pasfield’s focus slipped up, and the ball rolled under his boot for a comedic own goal. There may be slight debate to whether or not the ball crossed the line, but on replay, it looked like a goal. Pasfield’s blunder sent the Squadron crazy as Newcastle led their rivals 2-0 on the 55^th minute.

However, Central Coast were not done, and showed exactly why they were crowned champions last year. The Mariners went right back at the Jets, with a foray of forward charges ending just short of a goal. But their persistence was rewarded, and in the 65^th minute, an outstretched hand by Connor Chapman resulted in a penalty to the Gosford club. Marcos Flores coolly stood up and slotted away his third spot kick of the campaign. And so, the comeback was on.

As soon as the first goal went in, there was no denying Mariners a second. It was only a matter of time before the equalizer was scored. With 10 minutes to go, some great play between Rose and Flores saw Flores hit the crossbar. The resulting rebound fell ever so nicely, and ex-Socceroo Mile Sterjovski could not have asked for a better chance. His goal levelled the tie, and set in place a stunning final 10 minutes.

The last 10 minutes was full of end to end action, with both teams pressing hard to score their winner. Newcastle had a great chance as Taggart put away what he thought was the winner. However the linesman and his flag had different ideas, and his winner was cancelled out. Zadkovich also had another chance from a free kick, but Pasfield redeemed himself, albeit slightly, tipping the fizzing shot over the bar. And so, the game ended 2-2, much to the disappointment of the fans and myself. I would have happily watched another 90 minutes of such quality football.

The result sees at the time Jets climb to 7^th position, passing their Round 1 victors Sydney FC, as Central Coast drop to 4^th place, a position they would not be accustomed to for the last three seasons. Newcastle however would be most happy with the point, as the team, even without marquee Emile Heskey, played an attractive brand of football, matching it with a team that many had tipped for a championship season.

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