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Three-goal United ease past the Jets

The victory sees Miron Bleiberg’s men move nicely up the table and put their early season critics on notice that they will have plenty to say this term when it comes to contesting finals places.

Even without young flyer Ben Halloran (foot) and Joel Porter (calf), Gold Coast created numerous chances in the match, just as they have done in all their previous three games. The difference this time though was in the execution with Rigters, Rees and Brown all finding the net emphatically.

After a nervous start United took an early lead with a quality goal from Dutch forward Maceo Rigters. The strike was his first in the Hyundai A-League, but today’s performance suggests there will be many more to come from the powerful hit-man.

A raking 70-metre diagonal ball from Michael Thwaite started the 11^th minute move, finding Dylan McGowan scampering forward down the right hand side. A neat combination followed with Paul Beekmans who slipped the ball to Rigters on the edge of the box. Still with plenty to do to fashion a shooting opportunity, Rigters cleverly made enough room for himself before smashing the ball past the despairing dive of Jets custodian Ben Kennedy.

The goal clearly lifted the already confident Rigters who proceeded to shoot on sight for the rest of the half. The Dutchman was involved in most of United’s attacking forays and on 30 minutes his slide-rule pass set Dylan Macallister free. With Tarek Elrich straining to get back, Macallister delayed his shot just long enough for the Newcastle defender to make a last ditch challenge.

The visitors’ best chance to level came midway through the first period when some shoddy Gold Coast defending allowed Jobe Wheelhouse to pounce on a loose ball, but the Jets’ skipper scuffed his effort and Glen Moss was able to save comfortably.

At the start of the second period Gold Coast twice went close to increasing their lead. First Rigters wriggled through the Jets defence before drilling his shot just wide of the near post, then James Brown burst free of his marker only to see his effort well saved by Kennedy.

Just moments later Michael Thwaite had to be at his best to thwart Jets substitute Labino Haliti who was poised to fire into an unguarded net as the visitors looked for a way back into the match.

But United were breathing more easily on the hour when they doubled their lead. After Adama Traore’s marauding run was brought to an abrupt halt, Peter Jungschlager stepped up to crash the resulting free-kick goalwards. His powerful low strike was too hot to handle for Ben Kennedy and the ball fell invitingly for the recalled Kristian Rees to blast the ball into the roof of the net.

Within ten minutes the Jets pulled one back through skipper Jobe Wheelhouse who found himself in acres of space after a free-kick made its way through a sea of legs in the United box.

Gold Coast responded well to the temporary setback though. Rees hit the post after Macallister did well to clip the ball into his path and Brown crashed a free-kick inches over the bar.

However, the irrepressible Brown wasn’t to be denied his third goal in four games when fed with a delicious through ball from man-of-the-man Paul Beekmans with seven minutes to go. Streaking past his defender and taking the ball in his stride, Brown drove his effort past Kennedy to make the points safe for United.

Gold Coast United:

1.Glen MOSS [gk], 3.Michael THWAITE (c), 5.Kristian REES, 6.Paul BEEKMANS, 8.ROBSON, 12.Dylan MACALLISTER (21.Daniel SEVERINO 85’), 15.Adama TRAORE, 16.Maceo RIGTERS (29.Mitch BEVAN 90+1’), 18.James BROWN, 22.Peter JUNGSCHLAGER (27.Ambes YOSIEF 80’), 23.Dylan MCGOWAN,

Unused subs: 20.Jerrad TYSON [gk].

Yellow cards: none.

Red cards: none.

Newcastle Jets:

1.Ben KENNEDY [gk], 2.Taylor REGAN, 4.Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY, 6.Ben KANTAROVSKI, 7.Kasey WEHRMAN (14.Labinot HALITI 46’), 8.Jeremy BROCKIE (22.Ali ABBAS 82’), 10.Ruben ZADKOVIC, 11.Tarek ELRICH, 12.Jobe WHEELHOUSE (c) (18.Marko JESIC 75’), 13.Sung-Hwan BYUN, 23.Ryan GRIFFITHS.

Unused subs: 19.Matthew NASH [gk].

Yellow cards: Zadkovich 90’

Red cards: none.

Hyundai A-League Week 4

At Skilled Park, Gold Coast

GOLD COAST UNITED 3 (Rigters 11’, Rees 58’, Brown 83’)

NEWCASTLE JETS 1 (Wheelhouse 68’)

HT: 1-0

Referee: Kris Griffith-Jones