Coach Ryan Campbell concedes the Newcastle Jets were outplayed in a 2-0 loss to Melbourne City in Melbourne on Sunday night but they remain in control of their finals fate.
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The result, sealed through a Hannah Wilkinson double in the space of six minutes early in the second half, left the Jets on 24 points and caught in a three-way tussle for sixth position with three rounds remaining.
Western Sydney, who have a game in hand against the Michelle Heyman-led Canberra (15 points) on Wednesday night, and Perth also have 24 points.
The top five sides - Western United (35), City (34), Sydney (33), Melbourne Victory (32) and Central Coast (31) - have a comfortable buffer over the chasing pack.
Wellington, ninth with 22 points, also have a game in hand against the Sky Blues.
"They played quite well," Campbell said of City.
"They were effective. They played through. They were able to play under a lot of pressure. We lacked a bit of our final product. We kicked the ball away. We weren't able to keep it off them for very long. The effort was great but we just weren't at their level. They were better than us.
"If Wanderers win on Wednesday, then they're in the box seat ... [But] we're still in a position where we just have to keep worrying about ourselves. We're not so much worrying about everyone else and how they're going."
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Campbell felt the Jets did not cope as well with a disrupted warm-up after the kick-off time was delayed twice, first until 5.30pm and then to 6pm, due to heat.
They face another tough test south of the border this Sunday against Western United.
Defender Claudia Cicco and forward Lara Gooch will still be away with the Young Matildas at the AFC Under-20 Asian Cup in Uzbekistan but Campbell hopes to have lethal striker Melina Ayres back from illness.
"We've got to make sure we get all the troops back in and get them fresh because we're struggling numbers-wise without Cicco and Gooch," Campbell said.
"They'll get back for the Melbourne Victory game [in Newcastle on March 23], but what shape they'll be in is unknown.
"I think Mel will be right this week, which is good. She'll add another number to the squad."
The Jets have only ever made finals twice since the A-League's inception - in 2008-09 with an all-start cast that included Matildas legends Cheryl Salisbury and Joey Peters and 2017-18.
Renee Valentine
Renee Valentine is a sports journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Newcastle. She is passionate about increasing the visibility of sportswomen in the media. Got a sports story, email Renee at r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au
Renee Valentine is a sports journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Newcastle. She is passionate about increasing the visibility of sportswomen in the media. Got a sports story, email Renee at r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au
