Jets coach Arthur Papas hopes a return to McDonald Jones Stadium this weekend can prove the lift Newcastle need as they look to stay in the hunt for a finals spot.
The Jets are ninth on 22 points, six outside the top six, as they eye a crucial victory over last-placed Perth Glory (14 points) on home soil this Sunday.
Newcastle have seven games remaining to push for finals but need to bounce back quickly after a 2-0 loss to Brisbane in Queensland last Sunday in what was possibly their worst performance of the season.
But being back on home soil, where the Jets have had success this year, could prompt the response Papas is after from his squad.
"They're hurting from that [last] performance, that result, so we just want to see what we've probably been accustomed to in terms of the way we try to play our football, the intensity we play with and more importantly at home, where we've actually been very good," Papas said.
"We've had a very good run of home form, so it's important for us to get back in front of our supporters because it's a huge lift for these guys and ... in comparison to the past couple of seasons, the home form has really lifted and it just shows how important our supporters are."
According to the Ultimate A-League statistics, the Jets have played 214 games at McDonald Jones Stadium since 2005, winning 82 times, having 51 drawn affairs and 81 losses.
Last campaign, Newcastle won just once at home in 13 appearances. They played out three draws and lost nine times there.
But, under Papas, they have turned around their home fortunes this season, winning five times out of eight. That includes victories in their past three games at McDonald Jones Stadium.
They produced a gutsy 2-0 win over Sydney when decimated by COVID on March 23, routed Wellington 4-0 on March 18 and were 1-0 victors over Western Sydney on February 18.
The Jets have not been beaten, nor conceded a goal, at McDonald Jones Stadium since a 4-2 loss to Melbourne City on February 8. That game was their third outing in an eight-day period after not playing for six weeks due to COVID postponements.
Five of the top-six sides have played at least one more game than Newcastle. Some have played three or four more.
At the moment, destiny remains in Newcastle's hands but Papas said beating Perth was "critical".
"If we win this game, I think we're still in a good position to challenge for the finals," Papas said.
"With seven games to go, that's more than a quarter of the season, even though it's coming in such a short space of time. The reality is, you win your games, you're in the finals and if you don't you're not going to be there.
"We're pretty confident if we're able to get into that space considering everything that we've had to go through that we'd be in a position to really challenge."
The Jets and Perth played out a 0-0 draw in Perth on March 30.
