THE Newcastle Jets have begun take two of the A-League with a bang, beating arch rivals the Central Coast Mariners 2-1 in a pulsating F3 derby at Central Coast Stadium on Sunday.
Goals to Trent Buhagiar (12th minute) and hired gun Beka Mikeltadze (66th) were enough for the Jets to take a valuable three points.
Mariners striker Jason Cummings had struck in the 53rd minute to make it 1-all. Josh Nisbet thought he had levelled the scores for a second time in 72nd minute but his goal was ruled out by the VAR for a handball in the lead-up.
The win was the Jets' first over their neighbours since June 1, 2021 and propelled them into fifth position on nine points, with a game in hand.
Playing their first game since November 12 when the A-League went into recess for the World Cup, the Jets produced their best half of football in the opening 45 minutes.
They were under the pump for much of the second half, but scrambled well and found a way to win..
Jets coach Arthur Papas worked the squad overtime during the four-week break and it showed.
Bar a scare in the first minute, when Marco Tulio hit the woodwork, the visitors dominated the first half.
They were first to the ball, their passing was crisp and movement fluent.
The Mariners were starved of the ball and when in possession they were swamped by aggressive defence.
Daniel Stynes, in his starting debut for the Jet, was outstanding down the left side and set up Buhagiar for a deserved 1-0 lead at the break.
Socceroos keeper Danny Vukovic and Cummings were rushed straight into the Mariners XI after returning on Tuesday from Qatar. However, wonder boy Garang Kuol was again left on the bench.
They went from Messi and Mbappe in Qatar to Beka Mikeltadze at Brisbane Waters.
It was the 59th edition of the F3 derby but this time they played for a trophy, which comprised of a core drill sample of the freeway.
The round-one encounter between the fierce rivals was postponed after a storm transformed the ground into a lake.
Conditions were the complete opposite on Sunday. The mercury was sitting at a sapping 28 degrees at kickoff, with barely a cloud in the sky.
Papas made five changes to the side that went down 2-1 to Melbourne City almost a month ago.
Stynes was promoted, Jack Duncan was recalled in goals, Matt Jurman was preferred ahead of Jordan Elsey and Carl Jenkinson returned from a hip flexor injury. Dane Ingham started at left back.
Reno Piscopo was ruled out with a calf issue.
The Mariners were straight on the front-foot and nearly went ahead inside 60 seconds, with Tulio hitting the woodwork with an angled volley.
A minute later Buhagiar spurned a golden chance. Released in behind by Brandon O'Neill, the flyer took a heavy first touch and Vukovic was able to block his shot from 10 metres.
Buhagiar had another shot saved by Vukovic, but there was little the keeper could do to stop the winger a third time.
O'Neill pierced the defence with a forward ball to Angus Thurgate. He played a pass to Stynes on the left, who hit a first time cross to the back post.
Buhagiar did the rest, burning past Jacob Farrell and slotting a shot in the right corner.
The further the half went, the further Cummings had to drop. It took until 42nd minute for him to fire a shot, a long range effort which blazed high.
The visitors should have been two-goals up three minutes after the break. Stynes had a shot blocked by Vukovic, the rebound fell to Buhagiar but with the keeper scrambling, he had an air swing.
It was a big reprieve for the home side.
Four minutes later they were on equal terms.
The Jets failed to clear the ball from a goalmouth scramble and Cummings struck, hitting a low drive under a diving Duncan.
It was Cummings third goal in four derbies.
All of a sudden, the home side were on top.
The introduction of Kuol for Cummings n the 59th minute added to the danger.
But it was the Jets who struck next, albeit against the flow of the game.
From a corner, Beka Dartsmelia swung a ball into the far post. Mikeltadze rolled off his defender and nodded a header back across the goal into the net.
The Mariner thought they had equalised when Josh Nisbet angled a pass come shot which beat everyone and ended up in the left corner.
However, the VAR intervened and the goal was ruled out after substitute Michael Ruhs was guilty of handball in the lead-up.
Jets: Jack Duncan; Carl Jenkinson, Matt Jurman (c), Mark Natta, Dane Ingham; Brandon O'Neill, Angus Thurgate, Beka Dartsmelia; Trent Buhagiar, Beka Mikeltadze, Daniel Stynes
Mariners: Danny Vukovic; Tom Aquilina, Dan Hall, Nectarios Triantis, Jacob Farrell; Marco Tulio, Josh Nisbet, Max Ballard, Beni Nkololo; Jason Cummins, Paul Ayongo
