Corica laments two points lost after late frustration

Sydney FC coach Steve Corica said Saturday evening’s 1-1 Hyundai A-League draw with Newcastle Jets felt like a defeat.

The Sky Blues looked good for a third win in four matches this season thanks to Alex Brosque’s first-half goal.

But the Jets struck late on, with Nick Cowburn’s 87th-minute header delighting a vocal McDonald Jones Stadium crowd.

REPORT: Late Cowburn equaliser saves Newcastle at the death
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“Most parts of that game we were very good, defended very good, we stuck to the structure, and to concede towards the end of the game like that... it’s like two points we definitely lost," he said.

“It was a frustrating finish to concede a goal late… I thought we dominated most of that game.

“We played some great football for probably 75 minutes, and then they went very long and direct.

"We dealt with most of the long balls and the runs in behind, but it was a set piece which was not great defending.”

Corica acknowledged that his side needed a week off - despite being just four rounds into the season.

No Hyundai A-League matches will be played next weekend due to the international break and Sydney FC’s run to the FFA Cup Final has crammed the club’s fixture list in recent weeks.

"It will definitely help us because we've had a big couple of weeks with a lot of games," he said.

“I think we'll freshen them up again this week and give them that extra time off they need from recovering from those hard games last week.

“It will help us, definitely.”

The Sky Blues boss also said that Siem de Jong’s recovery from a hamstring injury was “actually going very well”.

Merrick's view

Corica’s Newcastle counterpart Ernie Merrick was pleased with his side’s performance, even if their win-less run continued.

Last season’s Grand Finalists have drawn two and lost two from their first four matches.

“We’ve been performing well for the last three games and [have] nothing to show for it at the end,” he said.

“It was good to see Nick getting that goal, and then after that, I was convinced we were going to get another goal out of it and steal the game at the end. 

“I think a 1-1 and a draw was a fair result.”