I wouldn’t be able to tell you the last time the Glory played out two scoreless draws in a season, let alone twice in the space of just over a fortnight.
We were left wondering how we didn’t find the back of the net, not for the first time this season. The Jets will be feeling the same way, probably even more so.
Both teams with four shots on target for the match, both squandering a golden chance leaving them to ponder what might have been.
For Newcastle, their big chance came in the 22nd minute and it fell to the player Jets fans would’ve most wanted, the Georgian talisman Beka Mikeltadze.
Debutant defender Aiden Coyne got pressured heavily by Olivier Boumal and couldn’t shake him. His back pass to Liam Reddy fell short and Mikeltadze pounced on the error. He got around Reddy and then somehow missed an open net from a tightish angle, narrowly missing the far post.
Coyne was one of three debutants for the Glory, alongside substitutes Trent Ostler and Joseph Forde. Aside from the error, and let’s be honest Glory defenders are prone to a howler, I didn’t think he had a terrible game.
That said, speaking of Glory history, it probably wasn’t the best look for the new assistant coach’s son to be given a starting debut. Over time we’ll see if he’s good enough to be a regular starter for the club, the alarm bells are slightly ringing though.
Nevertheless, he was a part of a defence that kept a clean sheet for the fourth time in 18 games. There were a few moments of shakiness which I thought might cost us, but we managed to hold out again, a rare positive sign for Ruben Zadkovich.
In attack, there were fleeting moments across the 90. Our golden moment came from a free kick won by Giordano Colli in the 51st minute.
Adrian Sardinero took the set piece to my surprise and found the head of Nick Fitzgerald, who got into a good position as the first man in the box.
At the front of the pack, his glancing header was goal bound until Jack Duncan stuck out his left hand and palmed it onto the post, coming back across the goal line and getting cleared by Mikeltadze before Colli could tap it in from the closest of range.
There’s still a lot to be desired in the build up play and in the attack itself. I was watching at home with my Dad and he’s not a huge soccer fan, but even he was getting frustrated with our circulation of the ball when we had possession.
It is too slow and our midfielders don’t get into little pockets of space where they can receive the ball and run at the defence often enough.
The best illustration of this occurring was in the 89th minute when Daniel Stynes curled an effort wide of the post with his left foot.
He intercepted the ball in the centre circle and had no passing options forward, so he had to make a short pass backwards to Callum Timmins.
Rawlins got the ball on the right and Stynes moved into a position between Newcastle’s back five and their three central midfielders. The pass from Rawlins bypassed those midfielders and allowed Stynes to run onto it and carry the dribble to the edge of the area.
This needs to happen on more occasions and Stynes has shown he is our midfielder most likely to take up those positions and move the ball forward quickly when the chance arises.
I don’t know what he’s done to have been left out of the starting line up by Zadkovich in his two games in charge thus far, but I hope he gets included against Macarthur on Sunday.
Our younger attackers got a chance in the second half as subs but couldn’t make their mark. Joshua Anasmo got more minutes but couldn’t register a shot, and the same went for Ostler in his first appearance for the senior side.
He has good pedigree at youth level having represented Australia at the under-17 World Cup and is a great feel-good story coming off two knee reconstructions. I hope he gets more chances to show his potential and can stay injury-free, unlike another one of our forwards.
Newcastle had more control of the game and will be feeling unlucky not to have come away with more. Lucas Mauragis was lively on the left, twice shooting just over the bar and Daniel Penha was a joy to watch in the middle of the park until his sending off.
I don’t think Penha can complain too much about the red card although he did win the foul. The elbow to Colli looked a bit dirty and was definitely deliberate. I also think Reddy was lucky to stay on the pitch after throwing a punch at Jordan O’Doherty, but maybe that’s more because I’d prefer to see Cameron Cook in goal.
A draw isn’t a terrible result and gets Zadkovich off the mark. No doubt he’ll want to see more from the team on Sunday when we take on the Bulls away from home. Macarthur have one win from their last six and are looking shaky in seventh. This is a good time for us to come up against them. I hope that last sentence ages well.
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