JETS coach Gary van Egmond declared his side are timing their run into the play-offs after returning to the A-League top six with a record-breaking 5-2 demolition of Sydney FC at Sydney Football Stadium yesterday.
Languishing in second-last position just two weeks ago, the Jets have regrouped with a draw against Adelaide and successive wins against champions Brisbane and Sydney, all away from home.
It is a remarkable and timely renaissance, given that the win against Brisbane was their first on foreign soil for more than a year.
Yesterday’s triumph ended a five-game winless run against Sydney dating back two years and created a piece of club history, as it was the first time the Jets had scored five goals in any match.
It lifted Newcastle to 25 competition points, leapfrogging Sydney (24), and to within three points of fourth-placed Perth Glory (28).
The Jets last occupied a top-six spot in mid-December.
With seven games remaining, Newcastle appear to be hitting form at the business end of the season and van Egmond, for one, believes their best is yet to come.
‘‘It was good to enjoy the moment, but we know that it’s going to be even tougher with the run through into the finals, if we want to make this six and then do something in the six,’’ he said.
‘‘And that’s where we’re starting to gain some momentum. I think if we get into the finals, we can cause some headaches.’’
Van Egmond said yesterday’s result was ‘‘great for the team’’, who have been struggling for consistency as they strive to adapt to a new playing style.
‘‘Now we’ve got some results with it, obviously the belief becomes a lot better and [we get] a lot more confidence with it,’’ he said.
‘‘It builds a platform as you go on through your season. It takes time and we knew it was going to take time.’’
Van Egmond was oblivious to the goal-scoring record his players had established.
‘‘For us to score five goals away from home, I don’t know when we last did something like that,’’ he said.
Sydney coach Viteslav Lavicka, who announced last week that he would leave at the end of the season, said his players were ‘‘embarrassed’’.
Van Egmond, missing midfielder Ben Kantarovski on Olyroos duty, opted for a back three of Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Tiago and Taylor Regan.
Regular left back Byun Sung-hwan started on the bench.
Topor-Stanley opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, nodding a looping header past Sydney goalkeeper Liam Reddy after Ryan Griffiths had forced a fine save from Liam Reddy off a Jobe Wheelhouse corner kick.
Seven minutes later, it was 2-0 to the visitors when Wheelhouse arrowed a pass to Tarek Elrich wide on the left and Elrich headed forward for Ruben Zadkovich.
The former Sydney man blasted a first-time left-foot half-volley past Reddy and capped a quality goal with a cheeky celebration in front of Sydney’s supporter group, The Cove.
The rout continued in the 37th minute when Francis Jeffers wriggled free of closing defenders and flicked a pass for Elrich, who fired a pinpoint cross for Brockie, unmarked, to head home his seventh goal of the season.
If Newcastle went to the break under the impression the result was a fait accompli, they copped a wake-up call two minutes after the resumption when Hirofumi Moriyasu scored to narrow the deficit.
Sydney defender Michael Beauchamp scored his first A-League goal in the 72nd minute after Bruno Cazarine headed across the six-yard box.
At 3-2, the stage looked set for a tense finish but the Jets settled after van Egmond changed to a back four and brought on Michael Bridges, Ali Abbas and Byun.
Brockie tapped in his second in the 87th minute after Abbas broke clear, bamboozled Beauchamp and fired a shot that Reddy parried.
Only Brisbane’s Besart Barisha (11) and Shane Smeltz (9) have scored more goals this season than the New Zealand international.
Brockie repaid the favour to Abbas in injury time, laying off for the new Australian citizen to score the record-breaking fifth goal.
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