By Sebastian Hassett
If there was one thing you used to count on from a trip to Wollongong, it was goals. The halcyon era of the Wolves during the National Soccer League – think 1998-2001 – had them renowned as the most exciting team in the country.
Those old Wolves fans who rocked up to see the return of elite domestic football to WIN Stadium after a decade-long absence must have been thrilled to see the big time back in town. But they might have also lamented that Stuart Young, Sasho Petrovski or Scott Chipperfield – the Wolves' holy forward trinity – wouldn't have been so profligate around goal.
Disallowed: Marc Janko's stunning volley was wrongly disallowed.Credit: Getty Images
Sydney could have won this game in the first half. Newcastle had claims to clinch it in the second. Yet neither side would get the points they needed going into the Asian Cup break. Some 11,377 fans showed up, although you'd suspect from the proliferation of paraphernalia that at least half came from Sydney. But did it advance the town's A-League cause? Certainly. More visits are a certainty. A re-birth of the Wolves at this level? The case hasn't been harmed.
The Sky Blues should have taken an early lead when Alex Brosque cut down the left flank and managed to pick out the run of the oncoming Bernie Ibini, who had a clear jump at the ball but failed to make any meaningful connection.
Pulling a crowd: 11,377 Wollongong supporters turned out to witness the 0-0 draw.Credit: Getty Images
Brosque was clearly causing problems down the left and after being put through by Rhyan Grant, his effort was blocked by Ben Kennedy. The rebound eventually came out to Peter Triantis who rifled in a decent effort that had Kennedy scrambling to reach, although the keeper was clearly on his game.
Sydney were well on top by this stage and marquee striker Marc Janko went even closer to opening the scoring, spearing in an effort that thudded into the post. Had Aaron Calver been a little more accurate with his cross on 32 minutes, Janko may well have scored the opener that was proving increasingly elusive.
Janko then cracked home a goal of the season contender with a stunning diagonal volley – at least it would have been, had the linesman not blown for offside. But the call was wrong, and Sydney coach Graham Arnold was ropeable.
"[The referees] do it every week," he said. "I smashed them on TV so I might as well keep going here [at the press conference]. They might as well just give the championship trophy to the referees, because they decide what's going on.
Chance spurred: Sydney FC's Marc Janko shows his dejection at his side's 0-0 draw with the Newcastle Jets.Credit: Getty Images
"You can talk all about the A-League and the standards but until they lift their standards – and I know they're part-time – but every game I watch in the A-League I watch this year, there is some rotten decisions that cost points. The refs ruin games anyway but tonight they've ruined goal of the year."
Ibini again tested the resolve of Kennedy as half-time approached but the keeper was alert, getting down low to ensure the match would remain scoreless at half-time.
Unsurprisingly, Mitch Cooper, completely ineffective in a strange, quasi-attacking role, was hooked by Jets coach Phil Stubbins at half-time. Joel Griffiths took his place, and why he didn't start is probably the question that ought to be posed. Griffiths instantly made the Jets sharper, offering that presence, even at 35, which makes him a threat.
Jeronimo Neumann had two chances early in the half to push the Jets ahead in the space of a minute, both of them headers, the first a cross from James Virgili and the second a dink from Griffiths, the latter of which he should have put away.
The Jets were a new team in the second 45 minutes, and went within inches of the lead when Vedran Janjetovic fumbled an incoming corner, one which Adrian Madaschi headed on target, only for Brosque to clear off the line.
Brosque could have grabbed one of his own had it not been for a wonderful sliding tackle from Madaschi that left the ex-Socceroos defender clutching his knee, although he recovered to play on.
Newcastle substitute Edson Montano came on with 16 minutes remaining and barely seconds later let fly with a spectacular effort that looked destined for the net, only for Janjetovic to tip the ball over.
Not to be outdone, Kennedy – who was clearly the man of the match – had to reach superbly to his left just to get his fingers to a stinging effort from Ibini, ensuring Sydney's scoreless streak would reach a miserable 374 minutes.
"The game should have been over at half-time," Arnold said. "When you're in control as much as we were and had the chances we had, it should have been 4-or-5-nil at half-time and game over. But then when you keep the other team in the game, anything can happen.
"In the second half we had the chances again and I think they had one. We had something like 34 entries into their penalty box to their seven.
"I've said to the boys that it was a good effort, the performance was better – it was probably our best 90 minutes – but we need to become more ruthless in front of goal and to kill teams off."