Jets coach Merrick laments lack of goals as finals hopes flicker

The A-League season is still to reach the halfway mark, but time is running out for the Newcastle Jets.

Kaine Sheppard of the Jets, centre, celebrates a goal with teammates against the Melbourne Victory. Picture: AAP

The A-League season is still to reach the halfway mark, but is time running out for the Newcastle Jets?

While Jets coach Ernie Merrick stopped short of giving a definitive answer following the 2-1 loss to Melbourne Victory in the grand final replay at AAMI Park on Saturday night, it is clear he is becoming increasingly frustrated by his team’s inability to make an impression on the top six.

After 13 games, last season’s beaten grand finalists are struggling in seventh spot, already seven points behind sixth placed Adelaide United, who have a game in hand.

They are 14 points behind second-placed Victory and have no chance of emulating their performance of last season when they finished second behind Sydney FC in the regular season.

The statistics say it all about their demise.

At the same stage last season, Newcastle were in second spot with 26 points (eight wins and three draws). They had scored a phenomenal 30 goals and conceded 15.

This season the Jets have managed three wins and three draws and scored less than half (14 goals).

They lost a total of seven games last season and have already reached that figure and there are still 14 games remaining.

Merrick concedes his team have the job ahead if they are to crack the six.

“No doubt the gap is getting bigger … I think the sixth team, Wellington Phoenix, won again. They are playing well, scoring goals and winning games, so the gap is getting larger,” Merrick said. “Our problem is we are shooting ourselves in the foot.”

Merrick, an A-League championship winning coach twice over, knows what the problem is.

“We are playing so well, yet concede goals from fewer shots than what we create and we are not scoring,” he said.

“And we are just not scoring enough. Last year we scored on a regular basis but this year we have struggled. It has been a problem all season.

“We seem to have twice as many opportunities in games as the opposition but we don’t have the quality.

“We created a lot of chances in the first half (against Victory). We controlled the midfield really well but we get to the penalty box and the finishing is just not there.

“I thought it was a good performance overall, but good performances have got to count now and we have to get three points on a regular basis.”

Merrick said the club had no room to move in terms of bringing in new players during the January transfer window.

“I don’t think we have the budget to bring in another player,” he said. However, the Jets will welcome back a number of players who have been injured, with Joe Champness and Ronny Vargas expected to be available for Saturday’s game against Sydney FC while Ben Kantarovski is “not far away”.

As for Victory, they produced a positive reaction following the midweek 2-0 loss to Adelaide United.

Suggestions that his side might have been fortunate to beat the Jets were quickly brushed aside by coach Kevin Muscat.

“No, not at all,” Muscat said emphatically when the question was put to him.

“I thought it was an outstanding effort to go ahead the way we did, then concede a goal then show all the endeavour and belief to go and get the winner.

“We earned that winner, thoroughly earned it.”

The win kept the Victorians in touch with leaders Perth Glory but Muscat isn’t about to get carried away in terms of the relevance of the win against the Jets.

“It’s important to put on a performance that earns us three points.

“In relation to (what happens) next week, next month and three and four months down the track, it is way too early to look that far down the tunnel,” he said.