THE Newcastle Jets face one of the most gruelling schedules in the history of the A-League, but defender Jordan Elsey insists Thursday's clash against the Brisbane Roar at McDonald Jones Stadium can't come quick enough.
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Initially set down for Saturday, the battle with the Roar has been brought forward to give free air to the FFA Cup final, and is the second of seven games in 28 days for the Jets, including three mid-week.
The sudden clutter of fixtures follows a barren six weeks in which six matches were postponed due to COVID-19 - the biggest impact of any team.
The Jets resumed with a spirit-testing 2-1 loss to Adelaide United at home on Sunday. The visitors equalised in the 88th minute before adding a second goal in injury time to steal three points.
The Jets appeared spent - physically and mentally - at full-time.
After recovery on Monday, they trained Tuesday and are now counting down the minutes to Thursday and a chance to "make amends".
"We are disheartened by the result on the weekend and just want to make amends on Thursday," Elsey said.
"I have watched the [Adelaide] game back twice and don't really know what to put it down to yet.
"I was feeling OK. It was just the little details and having that ruthlessness to see out a game. We definitely learnt a lot of lessons. The good thing about football is that the next game is just around the corner.
"The last six weeks for us have been frustrating as a group, not being able to play serious games, but now that they are coming thick and fast, I think we are ready for it. We have done the work and are looking to build momentum and keep the ball rolling."
It was the second straight game in which the Jets have given away three points. They led Macarthur 1-0 before copping two goals on December 19 - the last match before the COVID break.
On Sunday, there was a feeling of utter disbelief at the result.
"Three points are so valuable. Even one point. We would have taken that in the last game," Elsey said.
"It is about moving forward, not holding on to that loss. If you hold on to it, it can affect you in a bad way. Like most things in life, if you hold on to things it will affect you.
"It is about moving forward.
"We had a meeting with the coaching staff today and are moving on.
"We have fire in the belly and we want to redeem ourselves against the Roar on Thursday."
There were more positives than negatives to emerge from the match review.
"We covered the whole game, like every other week," Elsey said. "I thought we were unbelievable in the first half. It felt great to be a part of.
"There are things to work on. We know that. We have been honest with each other and are moving forward.
"It is the finer details that lead up to the goals that we have to work on."
In-form striker Beqa Mikeltadze, who produced a stunning volley in the 59th minute on Sunday to put the Jets ahead, had to be replaced with severe cramp put has pulled up well and is expected to be right for Thursday.
"I tried to stretch his calf [on the field Sunday]," Elsey said. "It is massive. It was a pretty bad cramp but he has trained well and looks fine.
"He has been the man so far and has been doing a great job."
The Jets have one more training session before taking on the Roar, who accounted for Western Sydney 3-0 on Saturday.
"We will go through the video [on them] tomorrow," Elsey said. "Arthur [Papas] and the coaching staff will give us everything we need to win this game as a visual show.
"I know a lot about Brisbane. We are looking forward to the game."
After the Roar, they tackle Perth in Sydney next Wednesday before rounding out the month with matches against Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City, Western Sydney and Macarthur.
Meanwhile, Jets winger Valentino Yuel marked his international debut with a goal as South Sudan went down 2-1 to Jordan in a friendly in Dubai on Tuesday morning (AEDST).
Yuel has been in camp for two weeks, but didn't feature in a 3-0loss to Uzbekistan last Thursday, and returns this weekend.
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James Gardiner
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
