THE Jets Youth will head to their happy hunting ground at Weston full of confidence for the minor premiership decider on Saturday after Brandon Lundy returned to inspire them to a 2-1 win over Lambton Jaffas yesterday.
The ladder-leading Jets Youth had not won in the Northern NSW National Premier League since losing striker Radovan Pavicevic to a broken arm four weeks earlier against South Cardiff, but they returned to form in the penultimate round at Edden Oval yesterday with Lundy spearheading the attack.
Lundy, who trains with the Jets’ A-League squad and had not played in the previous two NPL rounds, set up Michael Finlayson in the 15th minute then scored the youth team’s winner in the 55th minute with a coolly taken one-on-one chance.
Luke Remington scored in the 31st minute for the Jaffas after John Solari spilled Peter McPherson’s dipping shot.
The speedster was a constant threat for the Jets, who sat deep in defence but regularly forced turnovers before attacking quickly.
Jets Youth coach James Pascoe said Lundy was a key man for his side but was unsure if he or fellow first-team member Mitch Oxborrow would play for the youth team this week or beyond.
Both could be part of head coach Phil Stubbins’s FFA Cup squad for the game against Perth tomorrow night at Magic Park and other pre-season teams.
Pascoe said Lundy proved an ideal replacement for Pavicevic yesterday.
‘‘You need that outlet, and he’s probably the most similar to Radovan we have in terms of quality of being able to threaten in behind the line as well as come short to feet,’’ Pascoe said of Lundy.
See your ad here
Jaffas coach David Tanchevski lamented his side’s lacklustre start and poor finishing.
‘‘Every week I say to the boys, ‘The first 20 minutes we need to get into the game and don’t concede,’ and every week we concede,’’ he said. ‘‘I thought we played all over them the rest of the first half and made some good chances in the second, but we just couldn’t put the ball in the net.’’
The result and Weston’s 2-1 win over a 10-man South Cardiff at Ulinga Park yesterday kept the Jets two points clear of the Bears and ended the Jaffas’ premiership hopes. But to steal the title Weston will have to defy the odds.
Pascoe’s side have beaten the Bears every time since entering the league, including a 5-2 thumping this year.
‘‘They’ve probably been the form team over the last five or six weeks, so I think it will be a good game,’’ Pascoe said of the Bears. ‘‘It’s a game I look forward to as well because it’s a ground we tend to play good football on.’’
Mick Ryan scored the winner for Weston in the 85th minute after Dan Johnson’s penalty equaliser for South Cardiff.
The results yesterday mean the third-placed Jaffas, who play Adamstown, and Edgeworth, who take on Hamilton, are on 27 points and will fight for the other top-three position next week.
Edgeworth earned the right to compete for a second chance in the finals with a 2-0 win over Broadmeadow at Magic Park yesterday which ended the three-time defending major premiers’ playoff hopes.
Dylan Holz and Hector Mendez scored in the second half for the Eagles, who confirmed yesterday that Damian Zane will coach them in 2015.
Hamilton, meanwhile, lost 2-1 to Adamstown to slip to sixth place and must now win next week and rely on Charlestown losing or drawing against Broadmeadow to make the top five.
Sean Matthews scored in the first half for Rosebud, Pat Brown equalised before half-time and Nick Bale netted the winner at Adamstown Oval.
Charlestown beat Lake Macquarie 2-1 at Lisle Carr Oval to jump Olympic into fifth. Cameron Sullini and Kane Goodchild scored for the Blues before a late goal to the visitors.
Originally Posted by ForeverRed
