Former Sydney FC utility Ruben Zadkovich is poised to snub A-League champions Newcastle Jets and return to England to join Crystal Palace.

The 21-year-old Olyroo has been on the market since parting ways with Sydney at the end of last season, and had been expected to join the Jets after agreeing terms last month. However, Zadkovich and Sydney reached mutual agreement to terminate his contract early – he was contracted until June – so he could try his luck overseas, and he has spent the past fortnight on trial at Selhurst Park.

Last week, Palace manager Neil Warnock is believed to have tabled a two-year deal, although personal terms have yet to be agreed. One source claimed Zadkovich wants to double the wages he has been offered.

Zadkovich spent two seasons in England as a teenager, first with Queens Park Rangers then with Notts County, before returning home to join Sydney on the eve of the inaugural A-League season in 2005. He has made 42 appearances for the club over the past three seasons, but never cemented a regular first-team spot, and his relationship with coach John Kosmina strained towards the end of last season.

Nonetheless, Sydney will be claiming a development fee if the transfer goes through. Sydney FC have also given Olyroos skipper Mark Milligan permission to train overseas – it’s believed he is in England – but have yet to release him from the final three months of his contract.

Newcastle coach Gary van Egmond has yet to concede he’s lost the fight for Zadkovich’s signature, but admits: “If he’s got a good deal overseas, there’s not much we can do about it.”

The Jets received some positive news yesterday when they trumped Sydney FC for talented young striker Jason Naidovski, who has scored eight goals for the AIS in the Victorian Premier League this season. Naidovski, 18, has agreed terms for a two-year deal with Newcastle.

The signing continues the Jets’ emphasis on youth – their three most recent recruits, Song Jin-hyung, Ben Kantarovski and James Holland, are all 20 years or under. But van Egmond has no concerns about fielding a youthful team next season, saying: “The chairman [Con Constantine] is on record as saying we won’t be using service agreements, so that means in a lot of cases we can’t pay what established players are getting elsewhere. But having a young side doesn’t worry me – these guys are hungry to improve, they have their careers in front of them and they want to succeed.”

The Jets have also been heavily linked to another rising star, Melbourne Victory midfielder Kaz Patafta, but to balance the ledger, director of football Remo Nogarotto hopes to sign two established imports – one based in Italy and another in Switzerland – while the club has also had talks with two fringe Socceroos defenders – Adrian Madaschi, who has spent the past eight years in the Italian lower leagues, and Ljubo Milicevic, who is on the market after terminating his contract with Melbourne Victory.

SMH

Australia midfielder Stuart Musialik has left A-League champion Newcastle Jets to join Sydney FC.

Musialik is the fourth off-season signing for Sydney following the acquisitions of another Newcastle player, Mark Bridge, Central Coast’s John Aloisi and Perth’s Simon Colosimo.

Sydney coach John Kosmina says his club’s salary cap is getting tighter, but he may still make a couple more signings.

Newcastle product Musialik says he is impressed by Sydney’s off-season recruitment and the signing of Bridge was a factor in him switching camps.

Fox Sports

All Newcastle Jets fans thank Andrew Durante for his hard work for the club over the past three seasons, from the lows of suffering a broken leg on debut, to the highs of a Man of the Match performance in the Grand Final. Thanks Dura!

New Zealand’s Wellington Phoenix have signed defender Andrew Durante, the man-of-the-match in the Newcastle Jets’ A-League grand final victory.

The Phoenix, who finished last this season, announced the signings of Durante and former Socceroos defender Jon McKain in their build-up to their second season in the Australian competition.

Durante, linchpin of the Jets defence in their championship season, was awarded the Joe Marston Medal as best player in Newcastle’s 1-0 win over Central Coast Mariners in last Sunday’s grand final here.

Durante and McKain, who has 12 caps and is returning from club stints in Romania, join the Phoenix on two-year deals.

Their signings will bolster the Phoenix’s defensive stocks, while the search continues for a strike partner for prolific scorer Shane Smeltz, as well as another attacking midfielder and a right-back, the club said.

Former Perth Glory and New Zealand international winger Leo Bertos signed a two-year deal with the Wellington club last month.

Fox Sports

MARK Bridge delivered Newcastle their maiden A-League crown in likely his last appearance for the club as the Jets beat Central Coast 1-0 in a dramatic grand final at the Sydney Football Stadium.

The Sydney FC-bound striker made the most of a bumbling error from retiring Mariner Tony Vidmar to slot home the winner in the 64th minute and give Newcastle ultimate bragging rights over their bitter New South Wales rivals.

The match, though, ended in high controversy when Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic was sent off for dissent after referee Mark Shield appeared to miss a handball from Jets substitute James Holland in the final seconds.

In a clash high on emotion but short on footballing highlights, the Jets controlled much of the game but failed to take advantage until Bridge’s timely strike.

Vidmar, the third most-capped Socceroo of all time, timidly gave away possession to the Olyroo star near the halfway line, with Bridge easily out-pacing the 37-year-old veteran before curling his shot around covering defender Alex Wilkinson and Vukovic.

“A mistake from myself has cost us the game and I’m going to live with that,” Vidmar said.

“I’ll put my hand up on that.

“From what I can remember I saw Bridgey coming out of the corner of my left eye.

“I thought he was actually going to cut inside me, I’ve gone to leave it and it’s got stuck in between my feet and the rest is history.”

It was Bridge’s fifth goal of the season, but easily the most important for the forward who is believed to be on the brink of signing with Sydney FC for next season.

It was also one of the few clear cut chances in the match, but enough for the Jets to gain revenge for their dismal 3-0 loss to the Mariners in the major semi-final two weeks ago.

It was also an unfortunate end for Vidmar, who was near flawless until that point in his final competitive game of football.

Central Coast pushed hard for an equaliser, and should have been awarded a penalty in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Tom Pondeljak’s corner kick appeared to hit Holland’s raised forearm.

The Mariners all charged Shield demanding the penalty be given, but the referee waved them away.

Vukovic went too far with his protest, and was shown a straight red card while striker John Aloisi – who missed the Mariners best chance of the match early in the second half – was also booked.

It was minor premiers the Central Coast’s second 1-0 defeat in an A-League grand final after they went down to Sydney FC in season one.

Newcastle coach Gary van Egmond maintained his season-long method of changing his starting XI each week by starting young Korean Jin-Hyung Song in just his third A-League game and shifting James Holland back to the bench.

The move again bore fruit with Song superb and striker Joel Griffiths also causing massive problems in the Central Coast back four.

The crowd of 36,354 at the SFS was the largest of the season.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,23268017-23215,00.html