Yet again, the need for football-specific stadiums is highlighted.

     'Carpark' pitch a disgrace - Merrick     

The players, to their credit, delivered an engaging contest in difficult conditions. Western Sydney gave a debut to exciting youngster Abraham Majok, and his electrifying pace provided many thrilling moments in the opening stanzas. However, the Wanderers failed to convert their territorial dominance into goals, with Majok, Riera, and Kamau all failing to convert free headers.

The Jets sensed an opportunity, and duly snatched the three points – Hoffman opening the scoring against the run of play, before Vargas sealed their first win of the season in stoppage time.

Ernie Merrick will breathe a sigh of relief at the positive result, while Markus Babbel will no doubt be left wondering how on earth his team conspired to lose when they created so many openings.

Western Sydney Wanderers

Vedran Janjetovic – 6

Will be slightly disappointed he didn’t do more to prevent the opening goal. Made a good reflex stop from Hoffman at close range. No chance of stopping the second.

Josh Risdon – 9

No doubt buoyed by his form for the national team, Risdon proved time and again why he’s among the best attacking fullbacks in the competition. Got forward at every opportunity and put 9 balls into the area – many of them very inviting deliveries. The Wanderers’ forward line let him down with their end product.

Tarek Elrich - 7

The veteran is adapting well to his new role as a centre back, and enthusiastically came forward with the ball on several occasions. Played a beautiful chipped pass to Kamau which should have resulted in a goal.

Brendan Hamill - 6

The captain was predictably solid in the air, but struggled with the movement and interchange of the Newcastle front four. Caught out for the opening goal.

Raul Llorente - 7

A workmanlike shift from the Spaniard. Struggled to pick up Petratos when he came infield, but didn’t let many opponents put in crosses from his flank. Got forward when he could but his deliveries weren’t as threatening as Risdon’s. 

Jordan O’Doherty - 6

Didn’t provide the late runs into the box that we’ve seen in recent weeks. Energetic and made some good tackles but gave the ball away too easily. Substituted after 80 minutes.

Kearyn Baccus - 7

His play was hesitant and indecisive in the first half, but he grew into the game in the second. The pitch made it much more difficult for him to control the game.

Bruce Kamau - 7

Very threatening – timed his runs well and used the ball well in tight areas. Wasted many of the openings that he himself created.

Alex Baumjohann - 8

A class above. On an awful pitch, his superior touch shone through. Constantly the victim of tactical fouls, which the referee should have done more to police.

Abraham Majok – 4

The youngster provided endless reserves of pace and energy, but had a nightmare in front of goal. His failure to convert an early header from point-blank range will go down as one of the misses of the season. Time and again he got himself into promising positions, but a heavy first touch let him down. Regardless of tonight’s struggles, the raw materials are undoubtedly there. He showed more than enough potential to suggest he’ll be an impactful player in future.

Oriol Riera - 5

Mostly outplayed and outmuscled by the Newcastle centre backs. The golden opportunity came in the first half when he peeled off to the back post, and had an open goal to aim at. Any A-League player should have finished that chance – let alone one of the best headers of the ball in the competition.

SUBS:

Mark Tokich – N/A

Didn’t have enough time to be given a rating.

Newcastle Jets

Glen Moss - 7

Will be proud of his clean sheet, but it had more to do with poor finishing than outstanding goalkeeping. Did well to dig out Majok’s “header” (it came off his face), despite the distinct lack of power behind it.

Daniel Georgievski - 7

Typically gritty and determined performance by the fullback. Didn’t have many opportunities to overlap as his team rarely held possession for long enough. Picked up a groin injury late on and was substituted.

Nigel Boogaard – 6

Constantly committed fouls – both clumsy and cynical. Truly extraordinary that he was not booked.

Nikolai Topor-Stanley - 8

Dominant in the air, and provided many last ditch interventions to frustrate the Wanderers’ attack. Even provided an unlikely assist for the opening goal.

Lachlan Jackson - 4

Ball-watching as he let in Riera for what should have been the equaliser. Couldn’t cope with Kamau or Risdon’s overlapping runs. Committing a shocking turnover in his own defensive third that should have been punished.

Ben Kantarovski - 6

Another Jet who committed constant tactical fouls that went unpunished. Defensively reasonably solid but didn’t do much in possession.

Steven Ugarkovic - 5

Below his usual standards as the midfield metronome. Newcastle were outplayed for the majority of the game, and he couldn’t get a foot on the ball and dictate in his usual fashion. Dropped very deep late on to protect his defence.

Dimi Petratos - 9

Absolutely outstanding. In stark contrast to his absentee display against Sydney, Dimi was everywhere: popping up left, right, and centre to torment the Western Sydney defence. So consistent and purposeful in his use of the ball. His delightful reverse pass led to the opening goal, and he unselfishly teed up Vargas for the second in stoppage time.

Ronald Vargas - 7

Showed some nice touches and moved well between the lines. His contributions occasionally veered toward the aesthetic more than the impactful – though not to the same extent as his Brazilian teammate. Rattled home the second goal to seal the points.

Jair - 4

Another deeply frustrating evening for the Brazilian, who will surely be labelled a flop if his performances do not improve. Turned the ball over attempting flashy one-touch passes, and was reportedly lectured by Merrick for overcomplicating things. He is clearly still short of fitness and provided next to no protection for his fullback against Risdon’s overlapping runs. 

Jason Hoffman - 8

The Jets’ makeshift striker clearly grew in confidence after his goal, and had an excellent second half. He dropped off the frontline to combine with his attackers, taking on defenders in wide areas and producing a couple of excellent through balls. Could have added to his tally but his shot was too close to Janjetovic.

SUBS:

Angus Thurgate – 6

The youngster came on for the underwhelming Jair, and kept things simple. Still struggled to track Risdon’s runs, but made a better go of it than the man he replaced.

Nick Cowburn – N/A

Didn’t have enough time to be given a rating.

Ivan Vujica – N/A

Didn’t have enough time to be given a rating.