Newcastle Jets gradually dominated the Mariners after a slow start and knocked in four goals to sent the home side to the bottom of the table.

The first 10 minutes of the game was full of very tentative play with the Mariners shading the visitors, with the first chance of the game falling to Laurence Braude who received a ball played in after the Mariners won it with a solid challenge on the left. Braude shot through players in the area and it was on target until Jets keeper Jordan Griffiths saw it late and made an acrobatic save to his left.

In the 21st minute the Newcastle side drew first ‘blood’ in the derby when Jesse Pinto blasted a free kick from outside the area, off the wall and past a beaten Coast keeper Matthew Nash. 0-1

The Jets’s confidence grew through the half, and although Darko Vidovic had a great chance with a header right in the front but sent high and well over. In the 34th minute Adrian Krakolevski made it 0-2 when his show from range curled into the top left corner of the net with Nash slow to react. 0-2

In the second half the Mariners had some chances that were generally squandered, and their formation was disjointed.

The visitors finished stronger with Coast central defender Nathan Sherlock a contributor to both. Firstly substitute Virgil outran Sherlock and with Nash out but hesitent, Virgil rounded them both and slotted the ball home. 0-3

In the fourth and final goal Sherlock miss-hit his pass back to his keeper, so former Marconi Stallion Brodie Mooy pounced and slipped it inside the upright with Nash beaten. 0-4

Newcastle thoroughly deserved their win and moved off the bottom of the table to be replaced by the Mariners, who have a lot more work to do on their formation.

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As derby matches go it was pretty much up to expectations when a full blooded local joust between Central Coast Mariners and F3 Freeway neighbours, Newcastle Jets, kept a noisy crowd enthralled for a full ninety minutes.

In the end the home side had prevailed but only by a slender 1-0 margin and there was little in it really as only poor finishing and some defensive blunders parted the two teams.

Main culprit on this occasion was Jets’ ’screener’ Jobe Wheelhouse who gave up possession close to goal on at least three occasions, escaping punishment twice before seeing the man who gave him the slip, Matt Simon, provide the pass for Dylan Macallister to break the deadlock in the 33rd minute.

Macallister, one member of a fired-up three-man Mariners’ attack had missed earlier chances that a striker playing regularly might have taken. But the former Northern Spirit man had been struggling to break into the starting line-up after sustaining niggling injuries over recent weeks and it was only coach, Lawrie McKinna’s plan to use a three man attack that allowed him back into the team from the beginning.

McKinna revealed later that a second member of the strike-force, Simon, had been ill for a few days and had missed some training sessions hence his replacement an hour into the game by another injury-plagued, Nik Mrdja, who will be keen to join Macallister as a regular member of the side after three frustrating seasons in Gosford.

Mrdja may not get many chances just yet as a three man attack is unlikely to become a permanent approach and both Saso Petrovski and Simon are still playing very well. Macallister has to break in himself while Mrdja, if he proves himself fit, may offer more from dead ball situations than anyone else, when the impressive Mile Jedinak is ruled out for one reason or another.

Jedinak, a Socceroo selection recently and currently injured, had to miss this one, while long time absentee, Andre Gumprecht, was given ten minutes late in the game playing up front once Petrovski took an early breather during stoppage time

The match began typically tightly and there was no indication which of the teams might prevail. It looked a good bet for a draw as Mariners’ keeper, Danny Vukovic, now established again as the number one with the departure of Mark Bosnich, came to his team’s rescue with some fabulous last ditch defending and crucial saves. In front of him Paul O’Grady, who was less than convincing a week earlier against Wellington Phoenix, had a blinder in front of his keeper.

Central Coast had an early chance when Adrian Caceres latched onto a corner form John Hutchinson in the second minute but saw his fierce volley cannon off a defender.

Three minutes later and tracked every inch of the way by Jets’ skipper Jade North, Macallister advance towards goal from a John Hutchinson pass got him inside the six yard box but the Mariners’ man gave Ante Covic an easy take.

That was one chance gone and there were a few more that had Macallister holding his head in anguish wondering if he would ever score in this important game for his club.

After six minutes he was to be denied again.

Petrovski sent Simon through, this time, but Covic came out well to boot clear.

A ninth minute corner from Matthew Osman offered Macallister another chance, with a strong, low shot that the keeper was to save very well.

Newcastle began to make some impression after this and it was only a bad angle that prevented Jesper Hakansson from opening the scoring after a big run down the right in the 18th.

Much maligned Ecuadorian striker, Edmundo Zura, ran onto a pass from the left by Matt Thompson and converged on the ball at the same moment as Vukovic, who fumbled his attempt to reach it, and the ball came off Zura for a goal kick as it flashed past the left hand upright. It could as easily have crept inside the post and Vukovic got hurt in the collision.

Zura also shot over the bar four minutes later as the crowd gave the import ‘the bird’ for having the temerity to get physical with their hero, Vukovic.

He was booed for the remainder of the game for doing what all strikers are entitled to do; go for the ball in a 50- 50 challenge inside the box.

After 25 minutes Macallister had yet another chance to open his account when Covic saved well at the near post after Wheelhouse had been robbed by Thompson on the left.

Macallister headed over after Petrovski had touched on a cross from Caceres from the left.

Finally Macallister made amends, turning sharply inside the box to shake off two defenders, including North, to fire home from close range past Covic after Simon had supplied the cross, having left Wheelhouse in his wake.

Newcastle got going better after the break with a far from fit Joel Griffiths working his socks off to try and get the better of his markers and become provider as well as potential scorer.

Mark Milligan had started the game after being signed midweek and tried hard to lift his new team.

Griffiths was unable to find the target, however, as Zura began to pepper the goalmouth with some useful crosses and Jin-Hyung Song ran hard without looking convincing once in striking range.

His headed chance ten minutes from the end was typical of his disappointing showings near goal as the ball flew well over the bar.

Newcastle might have done better when Zura had a chance in the 59th but Vukovic saved well.

Adam Griffiths defended well for the Jets and got forward to set up Joel in the 69th but the drive went just over the bar.

Vukovic also needed to be alert to prevent his own defender, Brad Porter’s, downward header bouncing over him and into the goal; but the keeper climbed well to tip over the bar and avert the potential disaster.

Wheelhouse was thrust forward towards the end after Thompson was replaced by Daniel Piorkowski but Wheelhouse lifted his best chance over the bar in the 85th.

Joel Griffiths had a great shot tipped over by Vukovic in the 89th minute as the popular keeper showed why he was so highly valued by his club.

Adam D’Apuzzo broke late in the game for the Mariners but his shot was tipped over too.

In the end the home side took the bragging rights but there was not a lot in it. The catalyst this time was the Mariners’ below par performance against Wellington that spurred them to redemption.

Being a derby one wonders if it was going to be needed, but it certainly gave the home side the fire and McKinna gave them the fire power to execute the plan.

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The opening game of the A-League Season V4 the F3 derby has ended 1-1 as a last minute Joel Griffiths penalty gave the home side a share of the points after Matt Simon appeared to have won the game for the Mariners having headed them into the lead with just three minutes to go.

The Jets lined up with new marquee signing Edmundo Zura obtaining his clearance only a few hours before the match and 16-year-old Ben Kantarovski lining up in defence.

The Mariners new signing included defender Predrag Bojic, David D’Apuzzo, and attackers Ahmad Elrich and Adrian Caceres

The first half has the defences of both teams on top with the final pass in the attacking third continually being cut out, the highlights are quite limited.

It’s the 18th min and Song puts Zura away for the first piece of real action but he is called up for off side.

The Jets passing is looking good and its Song again looking dangerous as he is surrounded by Mariners but is still able to test Vukovic with a low shot.

The first half ends with a long range Caceres shot that tests Covic but doesn’t trouble the score board.

The second half commences with a higher intensity, Song’s cross is headed by Bojic who gets in front of Adam Griffiths but the ball goes to Zura on the far post and his header is just wide.

On 54 minutes it’s the Mariners who should take the lead, a Jets build up around the penalty area breaks down, Ahmad Elrich finds Caceres who sprints to the edge of the Jets penalty area, his cross however is not accurate and Covic intercepts in front of Petrovski.

Two minutes later Petrovski beats Adam Griffiths in the penalty area by lifting the ball over his head and regathering he crosses for Hutchinson and in what may already be the ‘miss of the season’ Hutchinson gets a foot o the ball from point blank range but the ball hits Covic and the Mariners again fail to go in front.

Zura responds for the Jets he finds Griffiths who in turn finds Elrich who fails to tap in from close range.

On 72 minutes Song pulls in a cross that finds Thompson, his shot is deflected off Clark and hits the upright before bouncing away.

It seems to become a goal less game but the match however has a dramatic ending, with three minutes to go Ahmad Elrich’s cross is headed away by his brother only to find Bojic who heads on to Simon who heads in from point blank range its 1-0 Mariners.

There is a further twist, Tarek Elrich in the final minute was fouled by Porter in the penalty area, Referee Breeze pointed to the spot and the home fans go into raptures, Joel Griffiths stepped up and as per last season – he scored – it ends 1-1.

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Central Coast Mariners have inflicted Grand Final revenge on the Newcastle Jets, winning a trial game 3-0 at Canberra Stadium.

Goals inside the first ten minutes to Mile Jedinak and Sasho Petrovski gave the Mariners the ideal start, and the Jets were unable to claw their way back into the game.

Jedinak headed home his second from an Ahmad Elrich corner ten minutes into the second half to complete the victory.

For the Jets, the game saw the return of reigning Hyundai A-League Player of the Year, Joel Griffiths, who was injected into the game in the second half. The game was Griffiths’ first in Jets colours in the 2008 Pre-Season, and should prove valuable match time with the Pre-Season Cup beginning next week.

In contrast, Joel’s brother, Adam, was a late exclusion from the game due to injury, and compounded the absence of key players, Jade North and James Holland. To replace Adam Griffiths, the Jets brought young Taylor Beaton from Canberra into the squad at the last moment. Beaton scored a brace for the Mariners against his club side, Belconnen United, a few weeks ago in his first taste at A-League level and was brought on for the Jets in the second half today.

Newcastle Jets will again cross boots with 2008 A-League runners up Central Coast Mariners on Saturday during a busy weekend of pre-season match action.

The afternoon match at Canberra Stadium is the final Jets’ warm-up before the A-League pre-season cup kicks off on July 19 and Newcastle will be hoping for another win over their local rivals.

The Jets beat the Central Coast 1-0 in a June 21 friendly when Korean import Jin-Hyung Song knocked home a goal from close range in the match’s first half. The score line was a repeat of the Jets 2008 grand final victory over the Mariners.

Saturday’s match will again give Gary van Egmond the chance to experiment with combinations for the upcoming season. Young Jets’ signings Ben Kantarovski, Jason Naidovski, Shaun Ontong and Kaz Patafta are still finding their feet at the club and the attacking players are likely to get plenty of game time. Midfielder James Holland may also get a start and will have plenty to prove after Olyroos’ coach Graham Arnold failed to name him in the Australian Olympic squad for Beijing last week.

The Mariners also have a number of changes to their line-up for the new season, including former Australian age group representatives Adrian Caceres, Dylan Macallister and David D’Apuzzo, and former Wellington Phoenix marquee midfielder Ahmed Elrich. Ahmad is the brother of Jets defender Tarek Elrich, who will compete in Beijing with the Olyroos. Media reports have suggested former Qantas Joey Predrag Bojic and former Empoli midfielder Frank Lagana, who have been trialling with the Mariners, will also feature in the match.

Meanwhile, Queensland Roar fans will be watching their team take on Brazilian giants Palmeiras at Suncorp stadium in Brisbane on Saturday night. Palmeiras may not have the crowd pulling power of Juventus or LA Galaxy’s David Beckham, but the club is one of Brazil’s best and has been crowned Brazilian champions six times. The match is part of Queensland’s three year roar against racism campaign, which began in 2007 as a way of promoting understanding between different ethnic groups and nationalities in Queensland.

Other pre-season matches include a clash between the Wellington Phoenix and a Christchurch club selection on Sunday and a match between the Melbourne Victory and Victoria Premier League side Whittlesea Zebras on Tuesday, July 15. Adelaide United will wrap up its pre-season campaign with a match against South Australia Super League club Para Hills on Wednesday, July 16.

By James Heffield, Betfair journalist

Mark Bridge’s goal just after the hour was enough to give Newcastle Jets a gritty Grand Final win over Premiers Central Coast Mariners at Sydney Football Stadium in front of 36,354 enthralled fans on Sunday evening, drawing the 2007-08 season to a gripping close.

It was unlikely that there would be much between the sides in the game’s showcase event, such has been the tight nature of most previous occasions these two rivals have met in the three years of the league. And given the nature of the rivalry – the two sides are separated by less than a hundred kilometres in a competition which spans several time-zones – although the scoreline would not be expected to be a generous one, the nature of the contest would be full-blooded.

And so it transpired. The game concluded in frantic scenes, with Mariners claiming with some legitimacy to have been on the wrong side of two decent shouts for a penalty, and Mariners’ goalkeeper Danny Vukovic dismissed deep in added time as a consequence of overly-advancing his case in support of the second. Jets’ substitute Matt Holland had thrust his arm at the ball as Tom Pondeljak’s corner was sent in to the near post when Mariners had committed all resources – including Vukovic – to one final attempt to take the game into extra time.

Minutes earlier, John Aloisi had tangled with Adam d’Apuzzo in the six-yard box as Aloisi strained every muscle attempting to reach a cross at the far post. Aloisi loudly protested he had been held, but had his entreaties waved away.

Aloisi had an unimpeded header from a better position after Adam Kwasnik had crossed from a similar position five minutes after the break without hitting the target. That should have put Mariners one up, and might have been enough in a game where the margins generally are slight.

But it was Bridge who got the breakthrough, capitalising on an error by the veteran Tony Vidmar, who slipped as he sought to take the ball away from Bridge’s attentions wide at the halfway line. Bridges then had a clear run in on goal with only Vukovic and central defender Alex Wilkinson providing the last line. Bridge had some work to do before even getting into a shooting position, but did so effectively, wrong-footing the scrambling Wilkinson as he did so, and sending his shot arrowing into the top corner from the forward edge of the penalty-area.

It was a cruel way for Vidmar to end his career as a footballer, having decided during the lead-up that this would be his final game. Indeed, it was almost Vidmar’s final involvement as Mariners’ coach Lawrie McKinna withdrew him for forward Matt Simon with fifteen minutes to go as he committed players forward.

It had been a game where neither coach left much in the locker from its earliest moments. There was no twenty-minute period of feeling each other out and playing in reserve. It was full-on from the start.

If the Jets players were tired after taking the last two games to added-time their first half start didn’t show it. Mariners scarcely got a look-in for the first twenty minutes, even if goalscoring opportunities were few. Adam Griffiths put a chance over the bar after Matt Thompson’s good lead-up work just after the quarter hour.

Barely two minutes later, as Jets threatened to break the game open, Bridges shot wide after Jin-Hyung Song cleverly back-heeled a ball into his path, taking three Mariners’ defenders completely out of the contest.

Song’s touches throughout gave Jets an edge. The Korean’s close control and threaded passes often split Central Coast’s covering attempts. Song has only played a few competitive games for Newcastle, all during Jets’ frantic Finals campaign, but once there’s been a longer time to gel, he will prove a potent force in Jets’ armoury.

At the half-hour, Song put wide after Adam Kwasnik had benefited from a long ball forward and cut inside.

But as the half progressed, Mariners began to arm-wrestle its way into contention. John Hutchinson busied himself mid-pitch, tackling with vigour and spraying passes to his wide men to open the game up.

Greg Owens almost capitalised on a part-cleared ball by man-of-the-match Andrew Durante, but found the ball sticking under his foot meaning Durante was able to block Owens’ shot after he’d re-set his sights.

Then came Vidmar’s slip and Bridge’s goal, which was the signal for McKinna to put on Andre Gumprecht and Tom Pondeljak for Owens and Kwasnik, and shortly after Simon for Vidmar.

The breakthrough couldn’t come for McKinna’s men, and the game entered its red-hot last five minutes with referee Mark Shield working hard to damp down the hot heads and keep the players’ minds on the job.

Nigel Boogaard and Aloisi both saw yellow and Vukovic red as the game drew to a fiery close, after the game seemed to have settled down following cautions to Joel Griffiths and Mile Jedinak before the quarter-hour, and Adam Griffiths just before the interval.
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