Newcastle United ended their season on a high with a 1-0 win over Perth Glory at Energy Australia Stadium Friday night.
Perth Glory came into the match with no less than nine changes from their starting line-up of last weekıs one-nil win against Olympic.
The changes in the Glory personnel were noticeable as they lacked shape in the midfield and were impotent up front. Even finals goal-scoring machine Bobby Despotovski was impotent.
Despotovski thought he had struck his thirteenth finals goal in the 9th minute, but his effort was adjudged offside.
Newcastle product Shane Pryce nearly became a Newcastle hero again when his clearance from a Ryan Griffiths shot came close to going into the Perth net.
A minute later Scott Baillie blew a golden opportunity for Newcastle going a goal up by blasting a shot from six yards over the bar.
Two minutes after that Adam Griffiths latched onto a Joey Schirripa corner with a header that went agonisingly wide.
A minute after this Newcastle did hit the lead through another corner. The set piece was wonderfully flicked on by Matthew Bingleyıs head and landed on the far post to Adam Hughes who had no trouble heading from two yards.
Newcastle had their goal disallowed in the 33rd minute, also through offside, when Adam Hughes was a yard in front of the last defender as he slotted home.
The second half started slowly as both teams struggled to get back into the game.
It was not until the 60th minute action came when Ryan Griffiths squandered some lovely lead-up work by Esala Masi to crash his shot into the crossbar from inside the six and in front.
With fifteen minutes to go coach Ian Crook made a sentimental substitution when he brought on Newcastle legend Andy Roberts. Roberts was playing his last game for the club before retirement, and the crowd reaction showed how loved the defender is in Newcastle.
In the 83rd minute Ryan Griffiths squandered another sitter when he headed his brotherıs pinpoint cross over the bar from just outside the six-yard box.
With two minutes to go Ryan Griffiths missed yet another header from inside the box when he should have converted a Scott Thomas cross.
Apart from the above efforts there was little action in the match. Perth were obviously resting players for next weekıs big game, and this was in the thoughts of coach Mitch DıAvery at the post-match press conference.
³They (Olympic) are a good team on their day and we are a good team on our day. Whose day it will be June 1 is yet to be seen.
It was their turn last year, but I hope it will be ours this year.²