The Newcastle Jets horror run at home shows no signs of abating after copping a 3-1 loss to the Macarthur Bulls on Sunday evening.
With Australian coach Tony Popovic watching on from the stands, the Hunter A-League Men’s (ALM) outfit was in the fight for the first hour at McDonald Jones Stadium.
However, the Sydneysiders struck twice in the latter stages to leave town with the three competition points, with the Novocastrians anchored in 11th spot on the ladder.
Newcastle’s reluctance to “pull the trigger”, when positioned strongly, is really starting to prove costly as it chases vital wins.
After the hosts began on the back foot, Clayton Taylor fired a shot in the eighth minute, only to see it float over the top.
Thomas Aquilina also followed suit with a similar attempt.
But, it was that man Taylor, who ignited the Jets in the 18th minute.
He made a brilliant run deep into the defence and delivered a superb pass to Ben Gibson, who grabbed his fourth goal of the season for a 1-0 lead.
Aquilina almost doubled the advantage, soon after, however his strike sailed wide of the mark.
Then, like so many other previous matches in 2024/25, Newcastle went to sleep with an unmarked Valère Germain levelling the encounter 1-all.
Faced with another attacking raid, keeper Ryan Scott plucked a ball out of the air on the line to deny Macarthur in the 31st minute.
Aquilina continued to trouble the visitors, with his header parried away by a desperate Bulls goalie Filip Kurto.
The Jets had a golden opportunity near the break, but Gibson’s effort was deflected, leaving the scoreline 1-all at oranges.
Newcastle came out with plenty of intent for the second 45.
However, despite a couple of opportunities, the side was unable to make a dent on the scoreboard.
That was compounded when Macarthur hit the front 2-1 after Scott knocked the pill, from a diving save, into the waiting feet of Jed Drew in the 58th minute.
The Jets No. 1 made amends to keep Daniel De Silva at bay.
Newcastle then went close on three occasions, via Lachlan Bayliss, Lachlan Rose – whose header hit the woodwork in the 79th minute – and Will Dobson.
But, the Bulls killed off any local hopes when Bernardo Oliveira nailed the winner in stoppage time.
The Jets now face Western United at Ironbark Fields on Friday 17 January.
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- ALW: Victory outmuscles hapless Jets
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- NRL: Knights star Pearce Paul ready to give season his all
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