Newcastle Jets coach Gary van Egmond has revealed some pre-season army training as a reason behind his side's strong resolve after they produced a gritty come-from-behind 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar on Sunday afternoon.
Newcastle Jets coach Gary van Egmond has revealed some pre-season army training as a reason behind his side's strong resolve after they produced a gritty come-from-behind 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar on Sunday afternoon.
Newcastle fought back from a goal down to register their second win in a row to climb to third spot on the A-League ladder and van Egmond believes some of the mental strength for such a victory comes from a trip to Holdsworthy Army base earlier this year.
"We did a few things during the pre-season to help the boys with their mentality and one of those was going to Holdsworthy and I don't think they'll ever do anything as hard as that," van Egmond said after the win over the Roar.
"It really gave them a good basis. They are pretty determined, they really want to have a successful season this year and it was great to see.
"It was a really tough situation for them - it really did test them in a lot of ways. It was great in them getting an understanding of what goes on in an Army barracks and it was very tough.
"We always take from those experiences, or from something else, and apply it to the situation you have in the game and it is good to fall back on those experiences some times."
The Jets were under pressure in the first half with the Roar side controlling the tempo and the home side cracked seven minutes before half-time when Brisbane midfielder Luke Brattan drilled home from the edge of the area.
But with driving rain and a gusty breeze behind them in the second half the Jets fought back, pouncing on some errors from the Roar defence, including a penalty for handball from former Jets skipper Jade North, that was incidentally missed by Nathan Burns, to snatch a well-deserved victory.
"They (Brisbane) went a goal up and we had to show some real resolve to get back into the game," van Egmond said.
"Even with the fact that we missed a penalty to have the opportunity to go in front, we still found a way of winning the game and full credit to the players, they have a really strong mental resolve and it is showing.
"The weather was pretty inclement out there and the breeze was pretty strong. It was a bit difficult for us in the first half out there to try to get passes together and a lot of the time we turned it over on the second or third touch on the ball.
"We talked about that and about changing the point of the attack when we get the ball in our own half and to not just go down one side because they (the Roar) really do press well when the ball goes out or when you are playing on transition.
"The first half we really didn't have enough composure at times and credit to them because they pressed really well. The second half we turned that around and we did that to them.
"The old cliche, it was a game of two halves."
The only sour point of the match for the Jets was a red card to key defender Kew Jaliens, who was sent off for dissent late in the match. His dismissal means he will be suspended for next week's clash against the Heart at Hunter Stadium.
"It looked to me to be a decent foul on Ruben (Zadkovich) and the frustration of that boiled over late in the game, but these things happen, emotion gets high in these games," van Egmond said of the situation.
"But you don't want anyone sent off, in particular for dissent, but it is an emotional game and he (Jaliens) has been fantastic for us all this year."
After a slow start to their 2013/14 campaign the Jets now sit in third place on the ladder and will look to notch their third win in a row when they host the out-of-sorts Melbourne Heart next Sunday.
The Newcastle coach admitted it was a much more comfortable position for him than he was in when he side was down near the foot of the ladder just under a month ago.
"Probably myself and Frank (Farina) were the ones under the pump there early in the competition and then you turn things around see the team go pretty quickly up the ladder," he said.
"The thing is to make sure we are consistent. We are really happy with the result today and that we got the three points but we have to understand they (Brisbane) weren't at full strength and we have to keep our feet on the ground.
"We are going to play Heart next week, we are at home and we are looking forward to playing in front of our tremendous supporters who again came out today."