David Lowe: Newcastle Jets facing mid-term exam against Western Sydney Wanderers

Thirty-five points you chirp? And it does seem around the mark in most seasons.

All teams still have chances, and the fact that Melbourne Victory and Sydney FC are in the bottom half of the competition probably complicates things for others towards the bottom of the table.

The Jets, for example, can make the turn with 13, 14 or 16 points after Sunday's clash with the Western Sydney Wanderers at McDonald Jones Stadium.

If they were to win they would be looking to an improvement of one win on the results produced in the first half of the season. A loss would leave them looking for about 22 points in 13 games to make the finals.

Only Melbourne City and the Mariners have achieved that in 11 and 12 games respectively to date, and it's hard to see those sides not filling a finals slot.

That leaves four spots.

Western Sydney have 19 points to date and have lost only three games thus far, conceding just nine goals to this stage.

Should they nail three points on Saturday, they are surely in a great position with 22 prospective points to set up their season.

The same challenge applies to the logjam of clubs between fourth and ninth, like the Jets, but they have a little start, so the importance of Sunday's clash cannot be overestimated.

Wanderers coach Marko Rudan has voiced his distaste for the allotted 3pm kick offs, and I've got to agree.

The schedule may be family friendly, but it's not footballer friendly on the majority of summer afternoons, with players understandably sapped of energy and sharpness.

Seldom does this time slot produce exciting spectacles.

The forecast of 22 degrees and 90 per cent chance of rain gives us some hope this Sunday.

The Elton John concerts may have the biggest say in that matter, with the state of the pitch a mystery at this stage.

I often refer to the pragmatic versus ambitious when discussing the various teams in the competition, and I doubt many adopt as pragmatic an approach to different opponents as the Wanderers do.

They sit third with 13 goals for and a goal difference of plus four, so they seldom give much away.

That was highlighted by a 1-1 draw with leaders Melbourne City last week, in a 3pm timeslot, where they had two shots against City's 30 and lost the corner count 12-0. Is that lucky or extremely diligent?

To be fair, they have played more expansively against what they consider less potent opponents and have some good quality in their line-up.

Rudan's approach on Sunday will be interesting. I'd imagine he's looking for a vital three points, but not overcommitting in the process. He will be aware the Jets can be vulnerable on the counterattack, but wouldn't be distressed by a low-scoring draw.

The Jets were more solid in their most recent outing, coming from a goal down to draw for the first time this season, against Western United in Ballarat. Conditions were awkward, with a strong wind north to south in terms of pitch position making the contest somewhat of a game of two halves until United were reduced to 10 men for the last 20 minutes.

Newcastle did chase a result to some extent, but didn't overdo it, refusing to expose themselves to late disaster, and picking up a rare point for a team who can be feast or famine. I didn't mind that care or the result, but we must remember it was a contest between teams 11 and 12 on the table.

It's a step up in grade on Sunday for the Jets, have no doubt, and a vital game for both teams - hopefully in conditions conducive to an entertaining match.

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