Conceding last minute goals has become so common it shouldn’t surprise or shock me anymore, but it continues to do so and given the circumstances on the weekend, our latest slip up hurt more than most.
With quarter of an hour to go, scores level and playing against 10 men, there is no excuse for losing. Doesn’t matter who the opposition is, the very least a team in that situation should get out of a match is a draw, and I would have been fine with that.
There were improvements on last week, but its small consolation on a day when the result should have showed it. If this team is serious about challenging for the top six, then it can ill afford to drop points in games like this.
Ruben Zadkovich changed up his starting line up and the shape of the team to take on the Newcastle Jets, switching to a back three of Darryl Lachman, Mark Beevers and Jacob Muir and opting for the strike duo of Bruno Fornaroli and the debuting Ben Azubel.
The other change to the side came in midfield, with Giordano Colli making his first appearance for the season in favour of Aaron McEneff, who dropped to the bench.
The first half was a bit of a cagey affair, with clear cut chances hard to come by for both teams. Newcastle was able to get the ball out wide and make our wingers chase back, but our central three in defence made sure any ball into the box was cleared away from danger.
The flexibility of the team is a big bonus for the season ahead. I liked the back three of central defenders and don’t mind the idea of two up top but if we go ahead with it, the midfield could use with some altering.
Salim Khelifi and Ryan Williams are wingers, not wingbacks. They’ve got to be used higher up the pitch. Matt Hatch would have been a great fit for the left-hand side; I was surprised he wasn’t even in the matchday squad after his bright cameo off the bench against the Wanderers.
I do also wonder if we could use Khelifi more centrally. He was a lot sharper on Saturday, taking on defenders and getting more involved with the play. His quick feet and control would be useful in the midfield three, and he’s definitely not a slouch on the defensive end.
The best chances of the first half fell the away of the new boy Azubel, who was relatively quiet for the rest of the game like his strike partner. It was Fornaroli who created the opportunity though, winning a header which Azubel ran onto. Jordan Elsey gave him space and time on the edge of the box to strike it on his left, curling it past Weier onto the crossbar in the 28th minute.
He got another opportunity nine minutes later, swivelling onto his right foot in a tight area and forcing Weier to palm it away for a corner. When he did have the ball in a good area, he looked capable of doing something with it. It just didn’t come enough.
Even in the air he couldn’t get a look in. The crossing stats from Saturday made for grim reading. Zero percent accuracy from 21 crosses, despite having three players 189cm or taller. The delivery wasn’t good enough.
Same couldn’t be said for the Jets, who opened the scoring in the 2nd half thanks to a great cross from Carl Jenkinson. Khelifi backed off the big Englishman to cover the run of Beka Dartsmelia. The cross floated over Lachman and Beevers onto an unmarked Elsey, who made no mistake with the header.
It took him just 15 minutes to go from hero to zero, getting sent off for a clumsy high kick on David Williams to swing the game in our favour. A second yellow turned into a straight red and a free kick into a penalty. Substitute McEneff confidently slotted away the spot kick to get us on the board for the season.
Despite the man advantage, we couldn’t take advantage and get many good shots away. A few long-range attempts which Weier caught comfortably. Bringing on defensive resistance and the pacey Josh Sotirio, it was clear their best chance was to catch us on the break, and it’s exactly what happened.
A late McEneff corner was cleared away by Brandon O’Neill up field. Sotirio was able to get there first and run with the ball. He picked his pass at the right time as David Williams played Beka Mikeltadze onside as he was chasing back. The Georgian took a touch and fired across Liam Reddy, drilling it into the corner and taking the three points for the Jets in their first match of the campaign.
Arthur Pappas would have been delighted to have snatched a win right at the end. Mikeltadze had one chance and made it count. His Georgian namesake Dartsmelia had a solid first outing and adds some more flair to the solid midfield duo of O’Neill and Angus Thurgate. Weier also looks like a much-needed upgrade in goal; the Jets conceded the same amount as Glory last season.
Losing in the manner in which we did was incredibly hard to take. More shots on target, a higher xG and having the extra man for the final 20 minutes. The result didn’t go our way but there was improvement from last week in Western Sydney. Points need to start coming before we face some of the big boys. The Mariners present our next test on Sunday, and it’s one we’ll have to pass in order to get our season rolling.
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