An out-of-character loss at home is set to spur on the Newcastle Jets in its clash with the Brisbane Roar on the Sunshine Coast this weekend.
Following a brilliant campaign to win the Australia Cup and an impressive 5-2 drubbing of the Melbourne Victory in round two, the A-League Men’s (ALM) outfit was dealt a reality check against Sydney FC at McDonald Jones Stadium.
In front of a big crowd, the Mark Milligan-coached side let slip a 1-0 lead to succumb 4-1 to the surprise of many fans.
But, in-form striker Ben Gibson, who scored his fifth goal from seven matches, knows the best is yet to come, with Newcastle a strong chance to redeem itself on Sunday 9 November.
“It was a pretty good feeling [finding the back of the net again],” he said.
“And, while it’s a nice personal achievement, the result was unfortunate.
“I think if we just stick to our values and the way we want to play, the brand of football we want to play, we should be alright.
“That’s what we need to do… because when we were doing it, it worked.
“(Last Saturday) we didn’t put our best foot forward from the start.
“It kind of cost us later as Sydney grew more and more into the game.
“So, it was a good learning curve.
“We’ve come off such a high, with the Australia Cup, and getting that win over the Victory.
“When we scored early, and it was probably against the run of play, we were hoping to grow more and more into the match and keep pushing the way we were.
“But, it wasn’t meant to be.
“So, it’s something we’ll take into account moving forward.”
Like the Jets, the Roar has also opened 2025/26 with a mixed bag.
After accounting for Macarthur FC 1-0, Brisbane slumped to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Wellington Phoenix and backed up with a 0-all draw with Melbourne City.
Regardless of where the teams sit on the ladder, Gibson remains wary of their sixth-placed rivals.
“They’ve got strong defenders, so it’ll be physical,” he said.
“We played them in pre-season… and that’s how it was.
“They have a different game to certain other sides.
“However, it’s just the way we want to play football, too.
“So, if we stick to that, and Milly’s (Milligan) principles, it’ll hold us in good stead.”
The showdown kicks off from 5pm.
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