Newcastle Jets continued their solid start to the Isuzu Ute A-League at McDonald Jones Stadium on October 22, comfortably accounting for Wellington Phoenix 3-1 in front of 7,028 fans, who saw their team make history. It's the first time in A-League history that Newcastle have won their first two games of the campaign, with the foundations for this triumph laid inside the opening twenty minutes, during which the Novocastrians had the ball in the net three times. Just 44 seconds had elapsed when Jaushua Sotirio - one of three former Wellington players - found the net upon receipt of a Trent Buhagiar cross, but the supplier of the opportunity had strayed offside as Newcastle attacked from the off. They didn't let up that early pressure, and were rewarded with a fourth minute goal - this time it did count! Reno Piscopo picked out James McGarry, who wriggled through two challenges before shooting between two more from the edge of the penalty area, the ball bulleting past Oli Sail into the bottom left-hand corner of the net. That stirred Wellington into life, and they first threatened in the tenth minute, Clayton Lewis and Costa Barbarouses combining on the right. Oskar Zawada was the beneficiary of their industry, but Carl Jenkinson's timely challenge ensured there would be no swift equaliser for the visitors. Instead, they found themselves further behind on the scoreboard in the sixteenth minute. Beka Dartsmelia worked a slick one-two with Piscopo before unleashing a twenty yard missile which flew into the top far corner of the net, well beyond the diving figure of Sail - 2-0. Wellington's defenders had afforded the scorer far too much room on this occasion, while at the other end of the park, overhit passes were the norm, meaning opportunities such as Zawada's deflected shot in the 23rd minute were few and far between for the visitors. Sail was kept busy by a long-range Piscopo free-kick, and was relieved to see a near post header from the same player flash across the face of goal in the 27th minute, Piscopo having been picked out by Dartsmelia's corner. On the half-hour, Newcastle were only denied a third goal by Scott Wootton's vital clearing header as the home team passed their opponents off the park, without encountering much resistance either, it must be said. Wait one! Six minutes before half-time, Wellington forced their way back into the contest. Lewis and Ben Waine combined with Sam Sutton, whose lay-off invited Bozhidar Kraev to let fly. Did he ever! His eighteen-yarder screamed past the hitherto untested Michael Weier, the first time Wellington had even looked like something truly threatening goal-wise. Alas for Ufuk Talay's team, Newcastle restored their two-goal advantage on the stroke of half-time. Weier sent Piscopo powering downfield, and he wasted little time in bringing Sotirio into play. His cross found Buhagiar flying in on the far post to

execute a diving header - 3-1. Wellington looked to get back into the game via a Barbarouses drive on the stroke of half-time - Weier turned it to safety - and Zawada immediately after play had resumed. Substitute Nick Pennington combined with Waine to present the number nine with the chance to shoot, but he made a pig's ear of the opening, and was withdrawn soon afterwards. Newcastle should have extended their advantage still further in the 53rd minute, when Dartsmelia's exquisite through ball, struck with the outside of the foot, sat up perfectly for Buhagiar as he raced through towards goal. Sail was his lone obstacle, but the midfielder lacked the courage of his convictions, blazing a shot on the run over the bar from the edge of the penalty area. Nine minutes later, Sotirio and Dartsmelia combined with Jenkinson, the former Arsenal man promptly picking out McGarry with a measured cross which invited the attack-minded fullback to net his second goal of the game. He should have done, but instead steered the sphere past Sail's right-hand upright - a great chance spurned. Wellington looked to get back into the match via their substitutes - Ben Old and Oskar Van Hattum in particular - and the indefatigable Waine, who can be proud of his performance despite being on a losing team. Old was narrowly astray with a shot on the run from the edge of the area in the 63rd minute, while seconds later, Weier was called upon to save solidly at the feet of Van Hattum, who was played in via a super Pennington pass. Five minutes later, Wellington spurned a glorious chance to reduce the deficit. Pennington picked out Waine, who had to take the scenic route to retain possession while occupying the attentions of Newcastle's defenders. Eventually he found an opening, and Old swiftly slipped the ball through to Van Hattum, who had got in between Mark Natta and Matt Jurman to find himself with a great chance of scoring. But Weier plunged to his left to keep out the shot - the game was up for Wellington right there. The visitors continued to dominate possession, but produced little that was penetrative. Waine stung the gloves of Weier with an angled shot in the 75th minute, while Old sliced a shot across the face of goal soon afterwards. And with time running out, Waine twice went close in as many minutes, both efforts being kept out by Weier in a contest which was comfortably won by Newcastle, deserving 3-1 winners as they made some A-League history for themselves. Newcastle:     Weier; Jenkinson, Jurman (Timmins, 76), Natta, McGarry; Thurgate, Piscopo (Hoffman, 76), O'Neill (booked, 81); Buhagiar (Ingham, 76), Dartsmelia (Goodwin, 64), Sotirio (Grozos, 86) Wellington:     Sail; Payne (booked, 11), Wootton, Laws, Sutton (Elliot, 74); Barbarouses, Ugarkovic (booked, 80), Lewis (Pennington, 46 (booked, 58)), Kraev (Van Hattum, 58); Waine, Zawada (Old, 53) Referee:     Jack Morgan