Here’s what we learned from another tight round …

1. Jets Capable Of Defending Finals Spot
If you’d have said midway through the season, perhaps at fulltime of their 5-2 pasting courtesy of Wellington back in December, that a finals spot would be Newcastle’s to lose with four rounds to play, we might have suggested a Ruben Zadkovich shot to the face to shock you back into coherence. If you then went on to suggest Newcastle’s defence would be the cornerstone of a crucial home victory, say, 1-0 over Adelaide, for example, well we might have ordered one of Zadkovich’s more unwelcoming tackles from Friday night to lower your fanciful optimism.

Fortunately for you, said optimism – which, let’s be honest, probably didn’t pervade Newcastle supporters any more so than it does their F3 rivals at this point – has been repaid with the Hunter club’s victory over the Reds making it three wins in four. While Newcastle flexed the full extent of their attacking muscles in a 5-2 win of their own – over Sydney – three weeks ago, it was as a functioning defensive unit in which they most impressed on Friday. With Zadkovich’s successful move to right-fullback, allowing Tarek Elrich to likewise excel in a new position, Newcastle have now bedded into a sturdier outfit, aided by the gutsy shifts turned in by young midfield duo Jacob Pepper and Ben Kantarovski. If the trend continues, Newcastle’s sixth position will not be breached.

2. Wellington Must Own Third
We’ve all been there: wishfully promising to ourselves after a tight home win that “we can still reel ‘em in,” “just need a few results to go our way and we’ll be back in promotion contention,” “a couple of reinforcements and we’ll be off the bottom.” It’s repeated season-after-season, though that doesn’t stop us thinking it’s any less realistic. But for A-League fans, for this season at least, the truth is that anyone finishing outside the top three, at a stretch, is incapable of winning the Grand Final.

It will take even the mightiest of efforts for third to get their hands on the toilet seat, but it’s not impossible. At least that’s what Ricki Herbert will be telling his Wellington Phoenix players, or should be. Following their scrappy 1-0 triumph over Sydney at the SFS on Saturday evening, Herbert’s men have reclaimed second spot, owing thanks in some part to Brisbane for Perth’s hiccup later in the night’s action. The advantage for the Phoenix in finishing third is, of course, the shot at two home finals, a benefit to them greater than to any of their rivals. A two-point lead over Glory and a home encounter with Gold Coast now has the ‘Nix set to put a mortgage on third. They have no other option.

3. Time = Improvement
Few would argue that Gold Coast United’s youth policy has been unsuccessful in unearthing several talented young Australian footballers. Similarly, few would argue that two consecutive home draws represents strong A-League results. Those few, and Clive Palmer, would be wrong if they were to do so. However, free speech permits the latter opinion to be of worth, so we’re going to focus solely on the developing talents of two of Gold Coast’s lesser emphasised young performers. In Jerrad Tyson, 22, and Zac Anderson, 20, coach Mike Mulvey has been blessed with a pair mature beyond their years, a welcome relief amongst the all-action teenagers of the Glitter Strip outfit.

Inauspicious starts to their respective careers in seasons past might have curtailed opportunities under a different regime, but the faith and, importantly, time, gifted to both players this season has seen them perform with distinction. While Victory boss Jim Magilton may argue the ‘keeper should have been dismissed for his reckless first-half collision with Archie Thompson, Tyson’s string of second-half saves was enough to preserve a point for Gold Coast in the eventual 1-1 draw. Anderson’s intelligent positioning alongside Benjamin Button impersonator Kristian Rees, meanwhile, had earlier denied Victory a lead on several occasions, and illustrated that time in senior A-League combat is the best route to development, even if it’s afforded a little behind schedule.

4. Berisha, The Prototype Sent From Albania
We’ve heard many times over about the type of squad demographic A-League clubs should build, from where they should be looking to recruit their players, what constitutes a worthy marquee; in Berisha, Brisbane Roar have found a yardstick for imports. Combining undeniable skill in attack, a phenomenal work ethic which drives his side’s high pressing gameplan and often blood raw passion, the Albania international has been central to Brisbane’s recent return to form, netting six times in the past four matches and spurring his side to four straight victories.

A textbook poacher’s brace in Perth on Saturday night took his goal tally to 17 this term, two shy of Shane Smeltz’s seasonal record, and helped the Roar cut Central Coast’s lead at the top to just three points with a commanding 3-0 win. Despite an admittedly scant understanding of the machinations of Albanian football – Lorik Cana is still captain, coach and association president, yes? – we’re confident that Berisha, at the ideal age of 26, is tracking towards a national recall. Berisha’s career situation is such that he has plenty still to prove, and with the individual ability to also match his determination for team success, Brisbane will long enjoy being profiteer.

5. A Hollywood Ending Looms
His team’s slip into a mid-table scrap from the highflying position they occupied mere months ago will leave a shadow of regret in the mind of John van ’t Schip, but the 2011/2012 season has the potential to leave the departing Dutchman with at least one notable claim to Heart fame. And if he and his young charges can achieve the feat, they will have inscribed the makings of Melbourne Heart into the A-League’s freshly printed history books. The potential landscape-changer is in the makeup of the table: Heart sit inside the top six while rivals (and for this purpose, elder brother) Melbourne Victory, as fans across the country will tell you, do not, meaning the late-season plot is being written into a Hollywood coming-of-age story (fitting, considering Heart’s cast of young stars).

On the flipside, Central Coast Mariners, whose lead was cut to just three points following their slim 1-0 loss to the Red and Whites, are scripting their very own thriller. Mariners coach Graham Arnold has suddenly found himself in a trademark Bruce Willis race against time to steady his once-bitten troops as Brisbane sniff back-to-back premierships. Whatever the story, you can be sure the finale for these two sides will be central to the A-League’s thickening plot. Now, where’s our Academy Award?