Game on as Newcastle Jets eye arch rivals Central Coast Mariners in round 25 of A-League Men

Now, they need to hit repeat.

And, the stage could not be set better with bitter arch rivals Central Coast next up.

The must-win game in the A-League's penultimate round is looming large next Saturday afternoon at McDonald Jones Stadium, where on Friday night Newcastle kept alive their play-off hopes with a spirited 2-1 win over Macarthur that was sealed with a Brandon O'Neill wonder goal in the 95^th minute.

The result almost certainly sounded the death knell for the Bulls, who stayed on 26 points, with two rounds remaining while the Jets improved to 29 points and outright seventh.

They are two behind both Sydney (32), who were 4-1 winners over Perth (28) on Sunday, and Wellington (32), who drew 2-2 with Brisbane (27).

Western United (26), who have an inferior goal difference to the Jets, were playing Adelaide (41) on Sunday night.

The Jets stood tall in their biggest game of Arthur Papas' tenure to date.

Newcastle's coach was thrilled with the win and the tenacious performance, but knows it only gets tougher.

"I'm really happy for our supporters more importantly, because with two games to go we're in with a chance," Papas said.

"We've given ourselves a chance, and that hasn't happened here for a while, so I'm pleased for them as well and next week's going to be a big game.

"We've got a really tough match next week, a derby match and I just hope that our community, our people get behind us and there's a big crowd here for what will be a big game."

Papas demanded hunger from his charges after a lacklustre performance in a costly 3-0 loss to Brisbane in their previous outing.

He got it in spades.

The Jets had the foot on the accelerator from the get-go, dominating possession, launching repetitive attacking raids deep into Bulls' territory and playing with a never-say-die attitude.

They were finally rewarded when Matt Jurman guided a header into the goals from a corner in the 79th minute to the delight of the Jets' faithful. But you could have heard a pin drop when Macarthur's Bachana Arabul found an equaliser in the 92nd minute.

Enter O'Neill. Calm and composed, and positioned well outside of the 18-yard box, the defensive midfielder fired a spectacular left-footed shot into the top right corner of Macarthur's net.

"I saw a lot of belief in him to execute that, especially what happened in the 91^st minute as well," Papas said.

"I thought we played really well for the majority of the game. Most shots on goal we've had all season, so the intent was there. The hunger was there.

"There was a response, considering last week's result, and I'm proud of that group because they showed the right character, competitiveness and resilience to even come back and do what they did after the 91^st minute."

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