If Rob Stanton could bottle his side’s previous performance, the Newcastle Jets mentor would do it in a heartbeat.
The A-League Men’s (ALM) outfit romped to a 4-0 victory over the Perth Glory, on the road, to secure its second win of 2024/25.
But, as has been the case in recent months, the result was followed up by yet another bye.
Now, Newcastle faces a further important showdown, tackling the Wellington Phoenix, at Sky Stadium on Saturday 28 December.
“I thought it was our best effort of the season [against the Glory],” Stanton said.
“Without being disrespectful to Perth, we dominated and controlled that match.
“However, just as we find our groove, we’re hit with another break.
“That doesn’t help when you’re trying to build momentum, especially with a young side.
“I know we all need to deal with the vagaries of the draw, but it hasn’t helped our cause.
“We must put our heads down, work hard and turn the attention to Wellington.
“Don’t forget, we beat them last time [over there], when they we’re undefeated.
“There’s no reason we can’t do it again.”
While Thomas Aquilina and Lachlan Bayliss hit the target early in the Perth showdown, it was youngster Ben Gibson who stole the show for the Jets.
He not only secured his maiden ALM goal, the 21-year-old forward doubled that tally straight after half-time.
“He’s a top kid,” Stanton said.
“He is also a player I’ve been looking at for quite some time.
“I watched him during his season, with APIA Leichhardt in the NSW NPL, where he was scoring goals from everywhere.
“In fact, I believe Ben finished third top scorer in the league with 18.
“I guess I had to throw him in a little bit earlier than I wanted.
“However, he’s grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
“He’s coped with the situation really well… and even created some assists for the team, too.
“I was extremely happy for him [to score twice] because he played a bit isolated at times against two, big strong defenders but, still, found space and made good runs into the box.
“Without putting too much pressure on Ben, that effort should give him more belief that he deserves to be in the A-League.
“So, I’m happy we signed him when we did.”
Although placed ninth on the ALM ladder before the weekend, Stanton is confident Newcastle will continue its surge up the table.
“I’ve had a look at the stats [over the bye round]… things like goals conceded, points accumulated and compared it to last season,” he said.
“There’s lots of good stuff in there.
“And, we’re playing better than what our position indicates.
“There is evidence to show what we’re working on is working well… so, I can relay that to the boys and create more belief in the squad.
“If we can ice those moments at crucial stages, instead of letting the opposition do it, it’ll make a big difference.”
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