After a win last week Queensland Roar slumped to a 3-0 loss to a confident Newcastle Jets at Suncorp tonight, with a brace to Mark Bridge. The Jets moved to third overnight.
The home side were very flat in the first half and allowed the visitors to dictate play, so by the time they started attacking seriously it was all too late.
The Roar had their problems before the game, with Sasa Ognenovski already ruled out with an ankle injury, so skipper Chad Gibson had been recalled to the Roar squad after missing last week's win against Perth Glory through suspension. Spase Dilevski had succumbed to the severe bruising to his heel and missed tonight's clash. For Newcastle coach Gary Van Egmond had Paul Okon and Vaughan Coveny on the bench.
Within 5 minutes it was clear that the Jets were on fire, dominating play and with a fluid passing game.
It paid off in the 9th minute when Paul Kohler slipped the ball forward to Mark Bridge who played a one-two with Milton Rodriguez to send Bridge away and he poked the ball past an advancing Roar 'keeper Liam Reddy. 0-1
Four minutes later Bridge shot wide with Reddy exposed, as Roar made an early sub with key midfielder Matt McKay being replaced by Dario Vidosic.
It was not until the 34th minute that the home side got in a shot, and it was the lively young substitute who shot, but alas over the crossbar.
Soon after, Bridge got in the frame again but shot straight at Reddy, and then at the other end Seo Hyuk-Su blasted one over. Jets again as Rodriguez shot straight at Reddy.
A searing cross by the Roar from the right was dropped by Necevski, and it was only Kohler's quick thinking to block Vidosic's shot that saved a goal.
As the half wound down Vidosic got behind the Jets defence and sent in a cross to Seo who again blasted it just wide, on the right side of the goal.
After the break, Frank Farina re-shuffled his pack, bringing on defender Ben Griffin and releasing Seo into midfield.
Two minutes in Joel Griffiths made a run down the left but steered his shot straight at 'keeper Reddy, who held it well.
In the 50th minute Seo went off on a surging run and laid off to the mostly isolated Damian Mori, however the marksman's telling cross was cut out by massed defending by the Jets.
Despite the Queenlanders pressure it was the Newcastle team that scored next, and comfortably. In the 53rd minute Matt Thompson passed the ball to Griffiths on the right, and the angle of his shot took the custodian by suprise with the ball coming off Reddy's glove and into the net. 0-2
In the 62nd minute a free kick from the left found Mori making a cagey run on the right but his header could not find the target.
The easiest chance of the half so far was given to substitute Vaughan Coveny when Reddy failed to clear him with a kick and the NZ journeyman shot into the left upright with an open goal at his mercy.
The Jets now had less possession but when they had the ball they made the most of it. Mark Bridge received the ball from Nick Carle, but faced with three defenders he manouvered. Inexplicably the defenders did not close him down and he jockeyed them until a path to goal appeared. His shot bulged the top right of the net with Reddy unable to cover. 77 minutes gone and it was now 0-3
In the 78th minute Dario Vidosic hit a speculator just wide as he tried hard to get something from the game. A few minutes later Ben Griffin pushed up and made space outside the area, sending in his shot from 20m which drew a solid save, down to his right, from short term signing Necevski in the Jets goal.
It wasn't all the Roar at all, as shown when Musialik got forward and from a run in from the right he shot across goal.
Last chance for a face-saver saw Vidosic shoot on target only to see Necevski pull off a fine one handed save.
A deserved win to Newcastle, who will be watching their closest rival Central Coast and Adelaide this weekend for a chance to get a break on the following pack. Queensland now must wonder what a change of coach achieved.