IT is the favourite part of the week for Jets defender Carl Jenkinson. An hour before kick-off. In the sheds with his teammates. Music blaring. Banter. Energy. Anticipation.
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"I love the buzz before a game," Jenkinson beamed.
It has been the same in every dressing room - Arsenal, England, West Ham, Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest, Melbourne City and now the Jets.
"The hour before the game in the changeroom with the boys, gearing up. You can't replicate that sort of atmosphere, that feeling," Jenkinson said. "You hear a lot of stories when people stop playing. It is something that they can't get anywhere else in life.
"When you have that competitive nature. When you have lived off that buzz since you were eight-years-old, it is something you look forward to every weekend.
"I was reading an article about [former Arsenal defender and assistant coach] Steve Bould. He missed the magic hour after winning a game. That feeling you get. He is in his late 50s and is a manager now in Belgium. He still craves the buzz you get from football.
"Most footballers play because they love football. You will hear the odd one out of the norm who has different motivations. Most players play because they love football. They have loved it their whole life. They always will love it. The moment they stop playing, they miss it."
Aged 30, Jenkinson is in a different postcode to retirement. He inked a two-year deal with Newcastle and is planning beyond that.
The desire to play and, more importantly, win trophies is as strong as ever.
When you have that competitive nature. When you have lived off that buzz since you were eight-years-old, it is something you look forward to every weekend.
- CARL JENKINSON
The make-up of Jenkinson's new changeroom is similar to the music that greets them before matches - energetic and upbeat.
Jenkinson knew little about Newcastle before arriving in the city two months ago.
However, he had done his homework on the Jets - the right back spent last A-League season on loan at Melbourne City - and wanted a piece of it. Attacking, fast paced, free-flowing football.
"I had opportunities to keep playing back home, but I wanted to take this opportunity," Jenkinson said in August on why he joined the Jets. "I felt like it was the right challenge for me."
The past two months have confirmed that belief.
"I signed for two years because I want to find a place where I can do something," he said. "I wanted to go somewhere, settle, find my feet and make it a home as such. And play the best football I can. I feel like I have found a good spot here to do that.
"On the pitch, I feel like I am finding my feet. Obviously, I knew how the boss wanted to play before I came here. It is a different feel when you get on the pitch and need to get used to that as well.
"It has been a really enjoyable process.
"I have been fit and healthy the whole time. I feel good."
The extended preseason - one of the longest in world football - has allowed Jenkinson to get to know his teammates on a deeper level.
"The longer you have to get to know your teammates, find out what makes them tick, the better," he said. "I feel like we have a good understanding of each other as a group. We are all on the same page.
"At the end of the day, we are all on the same mission to have a great season and do as well as we can as a team. The more time you get to spend with each other, the more you know about each other and the better chance you have of doing it."
The season kicks off with an F3 derby in Gosford. It's the oldest grudge match in the A-League.
"It is good to have a big first game," Jenkinson said. "It sets the tempo for the rest of the season."
One of Jenkinson's first games for Arsenal in 2012 was a North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur - one of the most ferocious rivalries in the Premier League.
"You want to play in the big games and the games that mean a bit more to the fans," Jenkinson said. "One of my best memories was a North London Derby at The Emirates. We won 5-3 and I came on for about 15 or 20 minutes. That was a great feeling.
"It is almost life or death in England when it comes to those sorts of rivalries.
"I have noticed since being here that we have a good core group of fans. I spoke to quite a few of them at the members day we had. A lot of them travel home and away. I know what winning means to them."
The Jets lost the corresponding game last season, going down 1-0 at home - the first of four defeats to open the season.
It's a result the Jets are desperate to turnaround today.
"The preseason is all well and good," Jenkinson said. "You are putting in the building blocks. Everything is done with that first game in mind. The manager, the staff and the players - everyone is thinking about that first game and how to prepare best for it. You just want to get the season underway."
James Gardiner
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
