After banking a draw against Adelaide and a win in Brisbane last week, the Jets have clawed their way back to seventh rung on the A-League ladder with 22 points, two behind sixth-placed Sydney.

A win at Sydney Football Stadium could lift Newcastle into the top six for the first time since mid-December, though a loss could leave them five points adrift of the pace-setting pack with just seven games to play.

As with any tightrope walk, Elrich said the best approach was to take it one step at a time.

‘‘We’ve got to take every week as it comes, but we’re coming off a good win up in Brisbane and it helps build our confidence,’’ Elrich said.

‘‘We kept a clean sheet and defended our lead and shut them out for most of the game.

‘‘We can take all those positives into this game.

‘‘I’m not going to say it’s the end of our season if we drop points, because it’s one of those things [where] if we can string two or three wins together, like some of the other sides have done, it will get us back there in the mix.’’

Finals veteran Elrich said it was crucial for the Jets to remain focused on performance rather than the points table.

‘‘To be honest, we haven’t even mentioned that,’’ he said.

‘‘We just know we need to win as many games as we can. We haven’t been playing too badly, it’s just that some of the results haven’t fallen our way.

‘‘Most of the games we’ve had our chances, we just haven’t capitalised.

‘‘But we haven’t really touched on being two points out of the top six.’’

Newcastle will have to overcome a two-year hoodoo to take maximum points against Sydney. The Jets have not beaten the Sky Blues since November 29, 2009, and have lost four of their past five games against Sydney.

‘‘Sydney are a quality team, and if you let your guard down against them, they’ll make you pay,’’ Elrich said.