Newcastle Jets Youth climbed to the top of Conference B in the Foxtel National Youth League with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against the FFA Centre of Excellence (FFA CoE) on Saturday afternoon.
FFA CoE dominated territory and possession in the early exchanges, however it was Newcastle’s Cody Carroll who created the first chance of the match in the 13th minute. Carroll pounced on a turnover at the back and charged through on goal, however his low left-footed strike was well met by a one-handed reflex save by FFA CoE keeper Brandon Osipov.
FFA CoE didn’t seem to heed the warning shot, as the Jets took the lead two minutes later. With the FFA CoE committing numbers forward in search of an early goal, Newcastle broke quickly on the counter attack and played Kristian Brymora in behind the defence. Despite heavy attention from the last defender, the young striker took the chance quickly and beat Osipov at the near post with a low left-footed strike.
FFA CoE continued to hold the majority of possession, however the greatest threats came from Newcastle through Carroll and Charlie Horsley on the break. On the half-hour mark, the pair combined on the left with a one-two to put Horsley into space. The winger bent in a low cross towards the blue shirts queuing up at the back post, and if not for a last ditch interception by the FFA CoE defence, the junior Jets may well have doubled their lead.
Newcastle’s goal was rarely troubled in the first half, however FFA CoE almost went to the break on level terms as they saw a back-post header just loop over the top of Bon Scott’s crossbar.
Six minutes after the re-start, Carroll was again denied by Osipov as he got on the end of a cross from the right, but somehow the keeper managed to block the effort from point-blank range to keep his team in the match.
Two minutes later the Canberra-based outfit were presented with their best chance of the match with an indirect free kick inside the penalty area, after a mix-up at the back saw Scott pick up Themba Muata-Marlow’s backpass. From the resulting free kick, the wall of blue shirts managed to hold firm and deflect the powerful goal-bound strike away to safety.
Scott was in the thick of the action, as he made a diving fingertip save down to his right to divert the ball around the post to preserve Newcastle’s slender lead.
Millimetres separated Newcastle and an elusive second goal on the hour mark, as Brymora got in behind the FFA CoE defence and found Carroll with an early cross, whose thumping header from a running jump cannoned into the underside of the crossbar, onto the goal line and out.
Luck deserted Carroll again with ten minutes remaining as he broke through on the left, only to see his shot somehow diverted into the side-netting by an outstanding Osipov.
Despite sustained pressure from the CoE in the final ten minutes as they searched for an equaliser, Newcastle refused to buckle under wave after wave of attacks with top spot in sight and held strong to record their third victory on the bounce.
The new league leaders have the bye next week and aren’t in action again until the New Year, while FFA CoE return to the capital to take on the Central Coast Mariners on Saturday afternoon.
Newcastle Jets Youth 1 (Brymora 15’)
FFA Centre of Excellence 0
Magic Park, Newcastle
Newcastle Jets Youth: 1. Bon Scott (Gk), 2. Ben Hay (16. Rhyan Smith 60’), 4. Thomas Whiteside, 5. Caio De Godoy, 6. Josh Barresi (12. Ryan Ensor 71’), 7. Finn Parris (14. Adam Cawley 69’), 8. Andrew Pawiak (C), 9. Kristian Brymora, 10. Cody Carroll, 11. Charles Horsley, 15. Themba Muata-Marlow
Unused Substitute: 20. Blake Tuxford (Gk)
Yellow Cards: Pawiak (C)
Red Cards: Nil
FFA Centre of Excellence: 12. Brandon Osipov (Gk), 3. Henry Davies, 6. Joe Caletti (C), 8. Daniel Arzani, 14. Solomon-Johnn Monahan Vaiika (16. Danny Kim 83’), 15. Joshua Hope, 17. Nicholas Panetta (7. Daniel Maskin 69’), 19. Charlie Devereux (25. Marc Tokich 73’), 23. Kosta Petratos, 24. Jackson Bandiera, 26. Aaron Reardon
Unused Substitute: 1. Duro Dragicevic (Gk)
Yellow Cards: Monahan Vaiika
Red Cards: Nil
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