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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
Sport

Newcastle Jets edge out Perth to make Australia Cup round of 32

Daniel Penha celebrates his goal. Picture: Getty Images

Newcastle edged out Perth and moved into the main draw of the Australia Cup with a 3-1 victory at McDonald Jones Stadium on Thursday night.

Newcastle were pitted against wooden spooners Glory in the bottom-four cup play-offs after finishing ninth in the A-League.

They are now among the 10 A-League clubs in the 32-team main draw of the national knockout formerly known as the FFA Cup. Western Sydney play Brisbane on Friday night in the other play-off between A-League teams.

The Jets applied all the early pressure on Thursday night but Perth keeper Liam Reddy tipped shots from Sam Silvera (third minute) and Angus Thurgate (11th) wide to keep the game scoreless.

However, Newcastle were in control at 2-0 by the half-hour mark with goals from Jordan Elsey and Daniel Penha.

Elsey scored with a diving back-post header off Penha's corner in the 25th minute before Penha produced a thunderous strike in the 30th.

Given time and space, the Brazilian lashed a swerving left-foot shot from outside the penalty box just under the crossbar and past a sprawling Reddy.

The Jets could have been further in front at the break, given their dominance. They had 14 shots to Perth's two and eight to one on target, as well as seven corners to nil.

Little changed for the young Perth line-up in the second half before coach Ruben Zadkovich, a former Jets skipper and Broadmeadow NPL boss, made changes on the hour.

Tyler Vecchio was among those injected and he put Perth back into the game with a goal in the 71st minute. On the counter from a Jets corner, Vecchio took on Newcastle's defence down the left before placing his left-foot finish just inside the far post to beat keeper Michael Weier.

However, it was a rare bright moment for Perth.

Jets teenager Archie Goodwin put an exclamation mark on the win, scoring in the fourth minute of stoppage time with his first touch after coming off the bench moments earlier.

Homegrown Newcastle veteran Jason Hoffman, playing his 200th competitive game for the club, said it was an important win.

"Obviously we wanted to end the season with some positivity around the club and that was an extremely important match for us to obviously reward ourselves for what's been a very long season," Hoffman said.

"We obviously take that bit of positivity now going into the Australia Cup for next season, so plenty to look forward to hopefully for the year to come.

"It was a very professional performance I thought."

Jets coach Arthur Papas was absent because of illness.

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