Western United need just a minute to see off Jets

Western United has secu­red its first win outside Victoria this season, holding off the struggling Newcastle Jets 1-0.

Lachlan Wales celebrates the winner for Western United against Newcastle Picture: Getty Images

Western United has secu­red its first win outside Victoria this season, holding off the struggling Newcastle Jets 1-0.

Lachlan Wales’s opening- minute strike was the difference between the two sides as the win closes Western’s gap to two points outside the top six.

Along with its first interstate win, it was only the second time Mark Rudan’s men have won back-to-back games this season.

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Rudan said it was pleasing to see his side grind out the result despite not being at their best.

“Very good start and we needed to keep going and were poor in the first half,” he said.

“We were much better in the second half and it’s our first win outside of Victoria which is pleasing as well, the most pleasing thing is that we’ve grinded out a result.”

The win places Western only two points outside the top six but it holds a game in hand on sixth place Sydney FC.

Rudan said the win was important to try and keep pace with the tight finals race.

“You can see how tight the league is,” Rudan said. “We’re one of three teams that have played the least amount of games so that win now makes it back to back wins against difficult opponents for different reasons is very pleasing.”

Newcastle had a multitude of chances in its sixth straight loss, placing the Jets only three points ahead of bottom of the table Melbourne Victory.

It only took 37 seconds for United to break the deadlock as Dylan Pierias found Wales unmarked inside the box and the winger made no mistake — his second in two games.

The Jets began to build back after Western’s rapid start and the mercurial Ramy Najjarine played in a superb ball to Roy O’Donovan whose flick narrowly missed on 23 minutes.

Newcastle came agonisingly close to an equaliser before the break but Nikolai Topor-Stanley’s header just glanced over the woodwork.

Newcastle coach Craig Deans lamented their inability to take advantage of having more of the ball saying they lacked quality in the final third.

“We were better in terms of having the ball and being in good areas of the park but it’s just the quality of what you do with it when we get into dangerous parts of the field,” Deans said. “Again, we keep working at it every week and we don’t give up.

“That’s killing us every-week, little mistakes and lack of discipline — we need to eradicate those mistakes.”

The result was important for United as it now has four straight games away from Victoria including two “home games” in Tasmania.