The Jets, with just 10-men, launched numerous raids on the Sky Blues late in the match despite already holding the lead.

It was the first time the Hunter outfit had defeated Sydney since 2012 and the victory was celebrated long and hard by the mostly parochial crowd.

Merrick said post-match: “It was pretty special wasn’t it? Over 18,000 people, very loud, most of them on our side, very parochial, created a great atmosphere – it was a terrific night for Newcastle football.

"The boys fought right to the end to score a goal. I was telling them to stay back but they kept getting forward. Then they hit the post and probably had a number of really good chances at the end.”

Merrick praised the crowd for getting his boys "over the line".

"When it came to six minutes of extra time – I’m glad they were there, that was tough."

The last time the Jets tasted finals football was eight years ago. Now, with five games remaining in the regular season, they have reduced the gap at the top of the table to eight points and look strong odds for a top two finish.

Merrick, who took the reins this season, said he was surprised by the speed with which the club had turned around its fortunes.

“Having played against Newcastle many times since 2005, I knew the potential here, the history of football, the tremendous support,” he said.

“I’ve known in the past their ability to pull in great crowds and it was great to see and to deliver But I didn’t think it would happen so quickly.

“Normally in your first year you try get in the finals and do something but this team’s a bit special.”

Striker Roy O’Donovan was sent off in the 13th minute for what looked like a strike to the head of Sydney defender Jordy Buijs.

But despite Newcastle’s numerical disadvantage the team managed to nullify the twin threats of Adrian Mierzejewski and Milos Ninkovic.

Dimi Petratos opened the scoring from the penalty spot on 41 minutes and Andrew Nabbout sealed the win with a sublime long range effort in the 56th minute after Bobo headed in the equaliser four minutes earlier.

“I’d say the boys are pretty confident they can match it with anyone now,” Merrick added. “And Sydney, to their credit have had a fantastic year. That’s only their second defeat.”

While he wouldn't be drawn on the immediate future of match-winner and J-League target, Andrew Nabbout, the Jets coach said the club had plenty of cover, with imports Ronnie Vargas and Patito Rodríguez ready to come back into the side next week.

As for the red card moment, Merrick said he would need to see replays of the incident, but criticised Buijs for rolling on the pitch afterwards.

“All I know is that Roy says he did not do anything deliberate,” Merrick said. “He may have struck the centre back but it wasn’t deliberate. He even apologised to him. Knowing Roy if he says that he means it.

“It was quite a performance the centre back put on. It seems to me the bigger the performance maybe you can get something out of it - pretty disappointing actually.”