Matt Thompson took the set piece from an almost identical position to the one Joel Griffiths curled home against Queensland Roar last week.

But this time it was a low and hard shot, drilled through the box and taking a deflection that pushed it beyond the flailing arms of Phoenix ‘keeper Glenn Moss.

It was enough to give Newcastle the points in a hard-fought match and their first victory of the new season. It also condemned Wellington Phoenix to bottom place for yet another week.

Phoenix almost got an early breakthough when Daniel surged through on goal, only to go down hard under a desperate last gasp tackle from Adam Griffiths. It earned the Jets defender a yellow but he was lucky not to get a red as the last defender.

The professional foul gave Phoenix a freekick just outside the box and Felipe tried to fire it in but the ball took a big deflection as it tried to power through the wall and Wellington were denied.

Phoenix made a series of aggressive attacks, pushing their defence up deep into the Jets half via the wings as they tried to service the Phoenix’s lone striker Shane Smeltz, supported by Daniel and Felipe.

Jets however were happy simply to slow things down and take their time on the ball, retaining possession and frustrating Wellington’s attack then trying to soak up the pressure when Phoenix countered.

Felipe was a constant danger, pushing through the centre and beating the opposition with his speed and skill before repeatedly putting a beautiful chip over the Jets backline looking for Smeltz.

But while goals looked unlikely from the tightly-marked Smeltz – who was using his strength to hold up the ball and service his support - Daniel was a far more likely prospect. His darting runs into the box were only foiled by poor finishing when he unleashed the final shot.

Phoenix’s best scoring opportunity came when Richard Johnson set up Michael Ferrante clear in space in the box with the chance to blast it home across the ‘keeper – but Ante Covic was up to it and kept the Jets in the match.

It was a let-off for the Jets but they were now under siege from Phoenix with the ball barely crossing the centreline into Wellington territory.

Newcastle forced their way back into the action though as Steve Eagleton spotted the run of Joel Griffiths just behind the offside trap and sent it into his run.

Griffiths latched onto it and crossed it in for Jason Hoffman whose touch forced a fabulous acrobatic save from the Phoenix ‘keeper, just as the ball looked destined for the back of the net.

Phoenix earned another freekick in a dangerous position when a blast from Felipe hit Adam Griffiths’s arm just outside the box. Felipe dummied a run this time, allowing Daniel to shoot from the set piece, but he skied it over the bar.

Another set piece, this time for the Jets saw them trying to repeat Central Coast Mariner Adam Kwasnik’s scorcher against Queensland Roar on Thursday night.

They played the corner short and low to Matty Thompson, lurking outside the box, who unleashed a belter that powered towards the goal, but just a fraction too high to count.

It was the final chance of the half as both sides headed into the dressing rooms with honours even.

Newcastle came out with renewed vigour in the second half and an early long-range effort by Denni was a sign they intended to take their chances in the final 45.

Daniel was replaced by Vaughan Coveny soon after the break after injuring himself falling on an advertising hoarding near the end of the first half, as the Kiwis stepped up their attack.

But it was the Jets who were looking more composed and dangerous.

Eagleton played a beautiful ball crossfield to find Tarek Elrich on the left near the corner flag. He beat his man to take it to the byline and attempt to play it back into the six yard box, but Moss plucked it from the air before the danger developed.

Coveny made an immediate impact for Phoenix, finding himself on the end of a cross into the box and heading it straight at goal. It lacked pace and power though and Covic was easily able to clutch it gratefully.

Felipe picked up a yellow after a series of tough challenges and was finally penalised for an elbow raised as he fought for a header with Paul Kohler.

Another great chance fell for Ferrante in front of goal after a superb ball from Tony Lochhead came down the left wing before it was sent into the box. Covic flapped at it but fumbled it straight to Ferrante.

He had the goal at his mercy and time to spare but tried to unleash a screamer and sent it flying wide, a shameful miss that left the Phoenix player with his head in his hands.

Phoenix were back on the attack once more and the Jets could only try to cope with the high tempo onslaught. Another freekick near the box saw Felipe chip it into the box looking for Coveny but Covic gathered that one up safely.

Lochhead’s constant drives up the left wing from his own half always posed a threat to the Jets. He won a corner from one of his sorties, with the short pass finding Felipe whose chip very nearly embarrassed Covic. The Jets ‘keeper just managed to get back towards his line in time to tip it over the bar.

Another Phoenix corner found the head of Coveny, flicking it on for a daring diving header from Karl Dodd who just pushed it past the post.

As the rain began to come down, neither side could create a clear chance and play became mired down in midfield and sloppy tackles in the greasy conditions.

Jets stepped up their game and put the squeeze on Phoenix, but the home side stacked its defence to fend off their attacks. Denni was sacrificed for Adam D'Apuzzo as the Jets shook up their attack in a bid to find a way through the Wellington backline.

With 15 minutes to go, Newcastle won a freekick in a similar position to where Joel Griffiths scored his curling screamer against Queensland Roar last week.

But Matt Thompson stepped up to take it instead, fired in low and hard and taking a wicked deflection in the box, just putting it out of Moss’s reach - and giving Jets the lead and the 500th A-League goal in the history of the tournament.

Phoenix tried hard to find the equaliser but the more they pushed forward, the more holes opened for the Jets to exploit. Elrich was swapped for Noel Spencer for the Jets and Royce Brownlie took Felipe’s place as the earlier speed of the game took its toll.

A late free kick had Phoenix players lining up in the box for a shot on goal, but Covic was quick off his line to leap and punch it to safety for the Jets.

Joel Griffiths and D’Apuzzo both picked up late yellows for the Jets as they tried to stand strong against the increasingly desperate Phoenix side looking to level the scores.

They came close to that equaliser with just three minutes of regulation time left.

Brownlie forced a bad tackle from the Newcastle defence that won a freekick near the corner flag. It was floated in and headed clear, only as far as the feet of Johnson but he rushed his shot and sent it soaring over the bar.

It was all Phoenix in the dying seconds of the game as they battled hard to lift themselves off the bottom of the A-League ladder but the effort was to be in vain. Hopeful crosses were off-target and tricky turnbacks into the box all came too late to save them.

Jets return to Newcastle with three hard-fought points in their backpocket and second place on the ladder.

FourFourTwo Says:
This could easily have gone either way and Phoenix were unlucky to end up losers. They dominated the first half and had their chances in the second. The Jets’ goal was a fair reward for a good effort away from home...but Phoenix really don’t deserve to be bottom of the league. They played well tonight but simply lacked a decent finish to give them the result they had earned. Phoenix have all the vital ingredients in place for their team – now all they need is a bit of luck in front of goal.