Newcastle’s hot streak came to a crashing end as Perth Glory surged into third spot on the A-League ladder with a dominant 2-0 victory on Saturday night.
Goals to Adam Hughes and Billy Mehmet either side of half time were enough to sink the Jets, who looked a shadow of the team that had strung together three straight wins.
Victory allowed Perth (34 points) leapfrog Wellington (33) into third spot, while sixth-placed Newcastle (28) will drop if Sydney FC defeat Adelaide on Sunday.
The Glory suffered an early blow when midfielder Liam Miller, who scuffed a straight forward chance to open the scoring in the fifth minute, limped off with a hamstring injury just seven minutes later.
The setback proved to be a blessing in disguise, with Miller’s replacement Hughes latching onto Josh Risdon’s pin-point cross to head into the net in the 16th minute.
Hughes looked set to complete his double when he unleashed a goalward-bound shot from outside the box in the 34th minute.
But a brilliant fingertip save from keeper Ben Kennedy sent the ball crashing into the crossbar, with the woodwork also denying Steve McGarry’s follow-up strike.
Newcastle, minus injured skipper Jobe Wheelhouse, struggled to create any clear-cut chances on goal in the opening half and it was a similar case in the second as Perth created all the chances.
Hughes was again denied by the woodwork when he sent a long-range strike crashing into the upright.
But it mattered little, with Mehmet putting the Glory 2-0 ahead in the 59th minute when he angled a floating header over Kennedy.
The Glory could have easily ended the match with four goals to their name given the amount of chances created in front of 8108 fans.
Ferguson said Miller was taken off as a precaution, but would undergo scans to determine the extent of the damage.
“We had to make a change early on and I thought Hughes was outstanding,” Ferguson said.
“I thought he was the best player on the park tonight. I’m pleased for him because he’s had to wait and be patient, and he’s come in and done a good job.”
Newcastle coach Gary van Egmond admitted his men were outplayed for long periods.
“I felt we were probably second to the ball, especially towards the back-end of the second half,” van Egmond said.
“Unfortunately we weren’t as good as we could have been.”
