BOX OFFICE FROM THE JETS! 🎫
— Paramount+ Australia (@ParamountPlusAU) October 15, 2022
Some absolute magic from Sotirio sets up Beka Mikeltadze as the 10-man @NewcastleJetsFC snatch a stoppage time goal!#NEWvPER is live now on Paramount+ 📺 pic.twitter.com/KAj1Zu6MJr
NEWCASTLE Jets co-captain Brandon O'Neill won two championships at Sydney FC and knows the importance of a positive start to the A-League season.
He knows what a first-up win can do for a club, especially a last-gasp triumph.
The excitement it creates among fans, the belief it generates in the dressing.
A 10-man Jets climbed off the canvas to beat Perth Glory 2-1 in a drama-charged season-opener at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday.
Hired gun Beka Mikeltadze struck deep in injury time, producing a clinical finish after a blistering run by substitute Jaushua Sortirio.
The goal sparked wild scenes and sent the 7089 fans into conniptions.
"That was a very good win," said O'Neill, who recovered from a head clash to play a pivotal role against his old club. "You are not meant to win a game of football with 10 men, you are not meant to have that belief, you are not meant to have that character.
"Only the very, very good teams have that. I think we have a taste of how good we could possibly be this year."
O'Neill was among the first to mob Mikeltadze after the Georgian pierced the back of the net with an angled drive.
It was the first time the Jets have opened their season with three points since the 2017-18 campaign. They went on to finish second and host the grand final that year.
"I'm massive on watching the boys and watching their body language," O'Neill said. "Beka scores in the 94th minute and every single player sprints. We found something from somewhere to sprint after the bloke. I jumped on him celebrating and remember looking to our bench. They were chasing us. the coaching staff, players who weren't even in the squad. That shows something.
It's a marker down in the sand. You want to start like that. You want to give the fans belief. They know that no matter what happens out there, they have a bunch of blokes they can rely on."
Defender Jordan Elsey had gone from hero to zero - producing a brilliant header to put the Jets ahead before 10 minutes later being shown a straight red card for a karate-style challenge that resulted in a game-levelling penalty.
"We went a man down and the boys flicked that switch," O'Neill said. "We had to do the other side of football, fight hard and be resolute.
"Then, all of sudden, we go on and score the winner. If we can play the football we know we can play, plus do that. It is a good recipe.
"But it is round one. We have a hell of a lot to work on. That is exciting because we know we can do the other things very well. Maybe last year, as a club, we didn't have the belief we could do that. To see it first hand, was awesome."
Coach Arthur Papas was equally proud of the result, if a little less effusive.
"It is important to come away with a positive outcome from a difficult situation," Papas said. "I think it represents a little bit about what we are wanting to become.
"We want to play good football, we want to play attacking football and we want to be hard to beat as well. That was the pleasing part."
Next for the Jets is a visit by Wellington Phoenix on Saturday night. However, they will be without Elsey, who is likely to be suspended for at least two matches.
