Voting is open now in the forums for the Jetstream Player of the Season. Go to the forum link below and cast your vote to who you think was the standout player for the 2009/2010 Hyundai A-League season.

Voting is simple:

Go here to vote

A simple post with your player who you want to receive three votes, then your second player who you would like to receive two votes, and the third player who will receive one vote.

Voting is open for two weeks, the voting thread will close for votes at 11:59pm Monday 22nd March 2010. The winner will be announced via the forum and an upcoming Jetstream Podcast.

This is purely a supporters based poll so we would like as many people as possible to vote. Even if you are not currently a forum user, please register, cast your votes and start posting – it will keep you occupied during the off-season at the very least.

Newcastle Jets have bowed out of the A-League Finals for 2010, but certainly made the Phoenix work for it by taking yet another finals game to extra time. Locked 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes after Tim Brown’s 33rd-minute effort cancelled out Matt Thompson’s opener, the two teams were forced into extra time where Ifill sent the vocal partisan crowd into raptures with his right-footed strike in the dying minutes of the first additional period. Dadi, a second-half substitute, then sealed the win with a simple tap-in with five minutes remaining.

The victory stretched Wellington’s unbeaten run at Westpac Stadium to 19 games and came on the back of a disrupted build-up with Leo Bertos, Ben Sigmund, Tim Brown and Tony Lochhead all backing up from New Zealand’s World Cup warm-up match against Mexico in Los Angeles on Thursday. Phoenix will now cross the Tasman to face either Melbourne or Sydney for a place in the grand final.

Phoenix almost got off to the perfect start when Sigmund, in for the suspended Jon McKain, was given time and space to get on the end of a Bertos corner in the opening minute only to see Ali Abbas clear his effort off the line. After their defensive effort against Gold Coast, Jets coach Branko Culina stated his side would be looking to attack Phoenix from the start but it was the hosts who dominated the first 15 minutes.

But despite winning several corners they were unable to make them count with Brown heading well wide then Newcastle goalkeeper Ben Kennedy punching another Bertos ball clear. Brown was full of running despite the arduous trip to Los Angeles and he made a great surge to the edge of the box but was pushed off the ball by Ben Kantarovski, who produced a solid display in defence, and despite appeals for a penalty referee Chris Beath waved play on and the Jets cleared the danger.

Phoenix keeper Liam Reddy was called into action for the first time in the 19th minute to punch clear a dangerous ball in by Abbas, who threatened almost every time he got the ball. Then the visitors stunned the record crowd of 32,792 by taking the lead through their captain Thompson. Sigmund cleared the initial throw-in but only as far as Jobe Wheelhouse who headed a looping ball back into the box. Thompson took one touch then rifled it past Reddy.

Two minutes later and Manny Muscat had a golden opportunity to score his first goal for the Phoenix but the Maltese international blasted it straight at Kennedy. The equaliser finally came in the 33rd minute and was a result of some dogged work by striker Chris Greenacre who managed to curl the ball past Ljubo Milicevic. Ifill’s shot came back off Nikolai Topor-Stanley, the English import chested it down and squared it to Brown who fired home his eighth of the season.

The midfielder had the chance for a second with just over five minutes of the half remaining but headed wide. However, it was the Jets who spurned a glorious chance of a half-time lead when Tarek Elrich – in a one-on-one with the keeper – had his strike easily smothered by Reddy. The match continued at its lively pace in the second spell as well.

In the 53rd minute the Phoenix defence was opened up as Abbas made another good run down the flank and into the box before squaring the ball to an on-rushing Thompson but his first touch let him down and a simple tap-in went begging.

At the other end Bertos fired in a pinpoint cross in front of goal but neither Vince Lia nor Greenacre could get on the end of it. Elrich then had Kennedy to thank for sparing his blushes just over 15 minutes into the second period when the defender attempted to head the ball clear, forcing a fingertip save from his keeper to prevent an own goal.

Phoenix kept up the pressure on the Jets goal but Greenacre, Ifill and Daniel, who came on for Bertos in the 66th minute, were unable to find the target. A good strong challenge by Durante on Thompson in the box halted another promising breakout by the Jets. In a frantic finish, play went from end to end as both teams tried desperately for the winner with Jets substitute Mirjan Pavlovic and Ifill wasting the best two chances to seal victory for their respective sides.

Ifill made no mistake at the end of the first period of extra time though, unleashing a vicious right-footed shot past the despairing Kennedy before Dadi’s effort killed off any chances of a Jets comeback.

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/123951,phoenix-into-preliminary-final.aspx

NEWCASTLE JETS have lost the chance to finish in the top two after Sydney FC came from behind to win 3-1 in a torrid NSW derby at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Sunday evening.

Newcastle took the lead with a well-taken goal to Jobe Wheelhouse in the 33rd minute before veteran striker John Aloisi levelled the match right on the stroke of half-time. Former Newcastle player Stuart Musalik put Sydney ahead in the 49th minute and substitute Christopher Payne confirmed the victory with his first A-League goal in stoppage time.

The win sees Sydney re-take top spot on 42 points just a point ahead of Melbourne and Gold Coast while the Jets hold onto fourth spot despite the loss but are just a point in front of Perth Glory and three in front of Wellington with three rounds to play.

The game got underway in perfect conditions in front of Newcastle’s biggest home crowd of the year of 9,892 and it was a typical derby encounter from the opening whistle with plenty of strong tackling and an intensive midfield battle that forced both teams to shot from outside the area in the settling-in period.

Sydney should have taken the lead in the 13th minute after some fine work from Steve Corica. The Sydney skipper delivered a perfect through ball to set Alex Brosque free into the penalty area but Newcastle goalkeeper Ben Kennedy dived strongly to his left to parry away the on-target shot from point-blank range.

Sydney created another strong chance when midfielder Sung-Hwan Byun headed wide to Aloisi. He rounded Tarek Elrich before sliding a dangerous cross into Brosque, who scuffed his shot across the face of goal from just four yards out.

The Jets worked hard to play their way back in the match and were rewarded when they broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute.

Nikolai Topor-Stanley found Thompson in an attacking position 30 metres out from goal and the skipper showed great vision to see Wheelhouse making a determined run into the area, putting the ball at his feet and the big midfielder made no mistake from 15 yards ploughing a crisp left-footed strike past an advancing Clint Bolton.

Sydney stepped up their attack, launching a number of promising raids that were gamely defended by the well-organised Jets backline of Ljubo Milicevic, Angelo Costanzo and Topor-Stanley but eventually the pressure told right on the stroke of half-time.

Musialik threaded a ball through the midfield towards Aloisi on the edge of the box, he stepped over the ball to allow Terry McFlynn to advance on goal and when he was challenged by Milicevic the ball squirted out to Aloisi, who slotted home a left-foot shot into the far corner to send the sides to the break locked at 1-1.

Newcastle coach Branko Culina, presiding over his 300th match in a national fixture, decided to go all out for the win bringing on striker Sean Rooney for defender Costanzo and it may have been the wrong decision when Sydney took the lead just four minutes into the second half.

McFlynn took the ball in an attacking position on the left wing before ghosting inside and delivering a ball to Musalik, who unleashed a low curving shot from 25 yards that snuck inside the near post much to the bemusement of Kennedy who appeared unsighted by the shot through a crowded defensive line.

Both sides made changes in the punishing encounter with Ali Abbas replacing Michael Bridges and Rhyan Grant coming on for Corica in the 73rd minute while Payne came on for Aloisi moments later after the goal-scorer clutched at his left hamstring in the 76th minute.

Newcastle went all-out to get something from the match with Labinot Haliti coming on in the 81st minute but Sydney’s defensive pairing, featuring Simon Colosimo and Stephan Keller stood firm as the home side launched a series of desperate last-ditch efforts.

Sydney sealed the victory two minutes into stoppage time when Grant and Payne worked a nice move down the right wing that saw Payne slide a shot past Kennedy and inside the far post.

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/News/121087,sky-blues-return-to-summit.aspx

AFTER a lacklustre first-half in which both sides were locked 0-0, two goals in five minutes early in the second gave the Newcastle Jets a 2-0 win over Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday night.

Jets skipper Matthew Thompson opened the scoring for the away side five minutes into the second-half breaking the offside trap to slot home.

Thompson was involved five mintues later when his pressure forced Matt McKay to handle in the area, Michael Bridges stepping up to the nail the resulting spot-kick.

Playing their third game in six days a weary Newcastle welcomed back Ben Kantarovski from suspension as well veteran defender Ange Costanzo and ‘keeper Ben Kennedy who replaced first-choice keeper Neil Young (broken nose).

As Ange Postecoglou’s Roar revolution takes place, new signing Pieter Collen and goalkeeper Mathew Ham both made their debuts in front of the Brisbane faithful.

Roar target man Sergio van Dijk had the first shot of the match in the 10th minute when Brisbane were awarded a free-kick 20 metres out. Distance wasn’t an issue for the Dutchman however his shot was hit straight at Kennedy who didn’t have to move an inch.

Newcastle looked to assert themselves physically from kick-off with Jobe Wheelhouse and Ljubo Milicevic involved in early crunching tackles.

It was Brisbane who made the better start to the match with midfield pair Massimo Murdocca and new captain Matt McKay able to direct traffic with relative ease.

Brazilian Reinaldo flashed wide with a shot on the turn in the 26th minute his effort was followed by Jin-Hyung Song for the Jets three minutes later but the South Korean’s effort scuttled wide with little intent.

With Roar controlling most of the possession but able to do little in the final third, Newcastle woke up in the 42nd minute with Michael Bridges having the first half’s best chance to score.

After receiving the ball from Song’s cross from the right, Wheelhouse teed-up Bridges at the top of the area and with the Englishman bearing down the goal looked certain to be tested, however in summing up the first-half the ball sailed high and wide off Bridges’ boot.

Emerging from the break, the match opened right up beginning with Michael Zullo’s left foot shot from outside the box. The effort only went as far as Kennedy who threw the ball immediately out to the Jets midfield to start an attack forward.

The quick break caught Brisbane napping and Bridges played a crafty back-heel to Thompson who beat the offside trap and broke into the box, slotting low past the right of motionless Roar custodian Ham.

Reinaldo almost gave the Roar an equaliser when a sloppy back-pass put Costanzo under-pressure in the area. After managing to outmuscle Costanzo, Reinaldo only had Kennedy to beat, but the No. 11 couldn’t finish with his off-balance shot scuffing wide of the target.

With action moving from end-to-end referee Mathew Breeze after having a good think, awarded the Jets a penalty in the 55th minute, when McKay handled in the area after pressure from Thompson.

Bridges took responsibility from the spot and made no mistake, slotting home his right-foot shot low into the bottom corner and giving the Jets a 2-0 lead.

McKay had the chance to redeem himself in the 62nd minute when Ivan Franjic whipped in a cross from the right. With players runningin McKay could only managed to get his thigh on the ball and Kennedy was able to gather.

Tensions flared for a moment in the 73rd when Roar substitute Adam Sarota and Jets defender Adam D’Apuzzo came into contact. Breeze quickly gained control of the scuffle and issued Sarota with a yellow card for his foul on D’Apuzzo.

Kennedy kept the Jets’ lead in tact ten minutes later when he tipped Reinaldo’s goal-bound header over the bar and into safety after Franjic put in a great cross from the corner flag.

Luke Devere’s header in the 89th minute was the last chance for Brisbane to try and get something from the match but his header sailed over and the Roar felt its 11th defeat of the season sink in.

Brisbane Roar 0
Newcastle Jets 2 (Thompson 50′, Bridges 55′[Pen])
Crowd: 6,656 @ Suncorp Stadium

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/120591,bridges-inspires-jets-in-brisbane.aspx

NEWCASTLE coach Branko Culina has praised his players after a 10-man Jets outfit defeated Melbourne 3-2 at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

With the home side holding a 1-0 lead Newcastle defender Ben Kantarosvki was dismissed in the 34th minute of the hard-fought contest forcing the Jets to play for close to an hour with a man down.

Kevin Muscat’s resultant penalty levelled the match but the Newcastle side showed plenty of grit to regain the lead just before half-time and then extend it to 3-1 early in the second half.

The Jets defence then held firm, eventually conceding a goal to Carlos Hernandez in stoppage time, but doing enough to register a vital 3-2 win.

“Sometimes you can come back against an ordinary team but when you come back against the current champions in the manner that we did you just have to take your hat off to the players,” Culina said after the match.

“They were absolutely superb, they wanted it – against all the odds – and some of the decisions didn’t go our way either so it was a huge, huge win.”

Culina rated the win the best he has been involved with in his time with the club and solidified the Jets as genuine contenders for this year’s A-League title.

“It was terrific,” he said. “It was an outstanding performance from an outstanding team who has shown today if they really want something there is nothing stopping them.

“We said at half-time if we could get that win today under the conditions and the circumstances it would be one of the greatest achievements in the club, at least this year.

“You can’t say we are a bad side because we have beaten Sydney, Gold Coast twice and will probably do it a third time, and now Melbourne – we should have at least got a point against them in the last game.

“Melbourne was coming off a loss and are fighting for the top position so you can’t say there is nothing in it – they were as invested as we were.”

Culina also said he had no problem with the dismissal of Kantarovski for picking up two yellow cards. The first was when he kicked the ball away after Tarek Elrich had conceded a free-kick in the 19th minute and the second when he grabbed Victory striker Robbie Kruse when he was advancing on goal in the 33rd minute.

“First of all I think the referee was right,” Culina said. “But I wasn’t happy with the decision and I wasn’t happy with the player either.

“But having said that there were reasons for both. But I think Ben had just gone for a header and may have been concussed so he may not have been sure what he was doing.”

The win keeps Newcastle in fourth place on the A-League ladder on 31 points just one win behind second placed Melbourne. The Jets take on third placed Gold Coast United on Wednesday night.

http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/120134,one-of-the-clubs-best-wins-ever.aspx

The club has today announced that English striker Michael Bridges has signed a contract extension and will be with the Newcastle Jets until June 2012. The import has fast become a fan favourite at EAS by netting four goals and setting up four more in seven starts for the Jets and his future has been a hot topic over the past several weeks after the news of several other players looking to move away from the Hunter.

Bridges has impressed all Newcastle supporters with his efforts and enthusiasm on the pitch and his professionalism off it, and the news that a contact extension has been agreed upon has been met with an overwhelmingly positive response. The following is an excerpt from the announcement on the Jets website:

Bridges, 31, played a starring role in the Jets’ 3-1 victory over rivals Sydney FC last Sunday, scoring two goals and setting up the other in a fine individual display. Indeed, since returning to the Hyundai A-League in October this year, after spending a loan period with Sydney in 2007, the Englishman has shown class, touch and leadership that will no doubt see him become a key member of the squad in coming seasons.

Club CEO John Tsatsimas this afternoon explained that Bridges’ off-field guidance of the club’s younger players, as well as his on-field exploits made him the perfect retention target.

“From the time that Michael has landed in Newcastle he has been nothing but the consummate professional. He obviously has adapted to the Newcastle culture, the city and the club, he has been a revelation and a success with our club and we are very excited to have him here.”

“He is an experienced professional and he will be able to convey his knowledge, his thoughts and his experience to our younger players,” Mr. Tsatsimas said.

The former English Premier League star has netted four times and created four assists in his seven starts thus far this season and is thrilled to have extended his stay in Newcastle to continue on in his rich vein of form.

“I’m absolutely delighted,” Bridges said. “It’s been fantastic since I’ve come here, on and off the field I’ve loved it. The boys have been fantastic, the people in the area have been great, and to sit down and extend the contract it was an easy process.”

“Not just for the off the field antics, the way we performed against Sydney, the young boys that are coming through, I want to try and be part of that and pass some of my knowledge on to them so that I can help them in the future,” he said at this afternoon’s press conference.

Once touted as the next big thing in English football before a horror run of injuries halted his progress in the national team set-up, Bridges will now have the opportunity to fulfil his Hyundai A-League ambitions, with the gifted front-man aspiring to further success with the Jets.

“I knew I had to perform to earn a contract,” he said. “I wanted that since I’ve been here, I always wanted to come back and have a go in the A-League again. Obviously the Jets gave me the chance and after being here a few weeks I wanted to go on and earn a longer contract. That’s what’s happened and I’m delighted because that was my aim.”

Bridges becomes the fifth player to recently re-sign with the Newcastle Jets after Tarek Elrich, Labinot Haliti, Ben Kennedy and Marko Jesic put pen to paper on new deals.

The Jets will travel to South Australia tomorrow to prepare for this Friday night’s important Hyundai A-League round 17 clash against Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium.