For the first time in the club’s history, the Newcastle Jets will contest the Australia Cup semi-final after thumping the Macarthur Bulls 3-0.
The Maitland Regional Sportsground was abuzz on Sunday 24 August as Mark Milligan’s men not only progressed in the prestigious pre-season competition but eliminated the dual champions.
With skipper Max Burgess (18th minute), Will Dobson (73rd) and Kota Mizunuma (77th) finding the back of the net, Newcastle will now tackle Avondale FC, who hammered Brisbane City 6-2.
Having fallen at the Round of 32 stage on six occasions, and only once previously reaching the quarters, the Jets finally booked their place in the top four on their 12th trip.
“It’s great,” Burgess said.
“There was a fantastic vibe here [today] with the crowd… I think we had about 5,000 in attendance.
“But, it’s been a team effort.
“The boys have ripped in everyday stacking bricks, getting better each day.
“To be honest, we probably enjoyed our best training session of the year yesterday [Saturday].
“With this kind of work ethic, and mentality, you get your rewards.”
Burgess admitted Milligan’s message to his troops was simple: be brave.
“Millsy told everyone to stick to our philosophy,” he said.
“I think we steered away from that in the last 15 after we went one goal up.
“The guys who came on [in the second half] were positive and made a big difference.
“It was terrific to see Will score his first goal, he’s brilliant on the half-turn.
“It’s important we stay the course, not second-guess ourselves.
“We want to play on the front foot and dominate… that’s what we did towards the end.
“I’m really proud of everyone.”
Daniel Wilmering went close at the 11-minute mark with a fierce drive, before turning provider for the opener.
Driving down the left, the midfielder cut the ball back to Burgess, who held his run on the penalty spot and calmly finished into the bottom corner.
Harry Politidis provided flashes of danger for the visitors, but Newcastle held sway across the park and carried a 57% share of possession into the break, along with a 1-0 advantage.
The Bulls emerged from the interval with renewed energy.
Harry Sawyer narrowly missed with a header, while Ji Dong-won’s introduction gave them an extra spark in attack.
Yet, the Jets weathered the pressure and continued to threaten, with Ben Gibson denied one-on-one by Filip Kurto after being sent through on goal.
The turning point came in the 73rd minute.
Substitute Dobson, only minutes after replacing Burgess, slotted past Kurto for 2-0.
Newcastle sealed the deal just moments later with a slick counter-attack.
Alex Badolato supplied the final pass, squaring for Mizunuma to convert from close range for 3-0.
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