A-League wrap: Jets, Fury claim wins

Newcastle Jets beat Gold Coast United 2-0 in the A-League on Wednesday, while Sydney lost 1-0 away to North Queensland Fury.

Newcastle dominated from the outset at Energy Australia Stadium, peppering the Gold Coast goal in the first half.

Visiting goalkeeper Glen Moss made a number of crucial saves to keep his side in the match, before Newcastle’s Ali Abbas eventually broke the deadlock with a crisply taken left-foot shot in the 77th minute.

The home side were reduced to 10 men just a minute later when skipper Ljubo Milicevic was sent off for a second bookable offence.

But Sasho Petrovski wrapped up the win for the Jets when he slotted home in the 81st minute.

The win equals Newcastle best run of games without a loss – now seven games – and lifts them into fifth place on the Hyundai A-League ladder, just five points behind fourth-placed Central Coast Mariners. Gold Coast, meanwhile, remain third.

North Queensland Fury secured a narrow win over Sydney FC after a goalkeeping howler by Ivan Necevski at the Dairy Farmers Stadium.

Ufuk Talay delivered an innocuous free kick towards Necevski, but it went straight through his arms for the 70th minute winner.

Sydney threatened first in the match when they caught the Fury outnumbered, but were foiled by a lunge from desperate last man Mark Hughes.

The Fury suffered a blow after the break with Osama Malik pulling his hamstring in the 50th minute, but Dyron Daal came off the bench and provided a much-needed spark.

Daal’s input quickly drew two free kicks from a panicked Sydney, the second of which inexplicably eluded Necevski and handed three points to the Fury.

Sydney’s third defeat in a row leaves them 10th and five points behind sixth-placed Melbourne Victory, while the Fury climb to ninth.

They are level on points with Sydney but move up one spot courtesy of their superior goal difference.