smeltz and traore

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At Skilled Park, Gold Coast

GOLD COAST UNITED 5 (Traore 9’, Djite 36’ / 80’ / 87’, Smeltz 61’)

NEWCASTLE JETS 1 (Shuo 75’)

HT: 2-0

Referee: Jarred Gillett

Crowd: 14,783

A BRUCE Djite hat-trick, a screamer from ADAMA TRAORE and the obligatory goal from SHANE SMELTZ gave Gold Coast United a night to remember as they thrashed Newcastle Jets 5-1 at Skilled Park.

On a night for numbers, 14,783 witnessed a highly entertaining game and $31,047 was raised for the flood relief appeal fund, as well as a truck full of toys that United’s players will deliver to affected families in the Lockyer Valley next week.

On the pitch, Djite continued his rich vein of scoring form and looked unstoppable as Gold Coast ran riot in the second half. His treble made it six goals in three games for the former Adelaide United striker who looks to have confidence oozing out of his boots.

Miron Bleiberg made three rotational changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Melbourne Heart in midweek with Steve Pantelidis, Anderson and Golgol Mebrahtu drafted in as replacements for Zenon Caravella, John Curtis and Kristian Rees. Joel Porter began his comeback from injury with a place on the bench and Smeltz started up front with Djite despite early fears that tightness in his calf would keep him on the sidelines.

United’s adventurous 4-2-4 formation paid dividends as early as the 9th minute when Adama Traore fired the home side into the lead with an outstanding goal. A flowing, one-touch move set Golgol Mebrahtu free down the right wing and when it looked as if he was about to be hemmed in near the corner flag, the youngster produce some delightful trickery to escape his marker. Mebrahtu’s cross was only cleared as far as Bas van den Brink on the edge of the box, and when his pass found Traore the Ivorian expertly lashed a left foot volley past Ben Kennedy in the Jets’ goal.

Gold Coast looked in the mood for more but had to survive a scare in the 16th minute when Labinot Haliti’s glancing header tested Glen Moss’s reflexes, forcing United’s gloveman into a sharp save. Haliti gave Moss more work to do three minutes later after some sloppy passing from the home side gifted Newcastle a breakaway, but again the New Zealand international was up to the job.

A last-ditch intervention from Tarek Elrich denied Dino Djulbic a goal just after the half hour, then soon after Djulbic had a hand in United’s second goal as Bleiberg’s men made their dominance count. New German import Peter Perchtold delivered another superb deep corner from the right-hand side, and when Djulbic’s towering header put the ball back into the danger zone, Djite was on hand to bundle it over the line.

Newcastle battled and had their moments, but Gold Coast put the result beyond doubt 15 minutes into the second half as Shane Smeltz again plied his trade in the penalty area. As he has often been in recent weeks, van den Brink was the architect. With a surging run down the right the Dutchman burst past his man before laying a perfect cutback on a plate for Smeltz, who made no mistake from 12 metres.

Two minutes later Smeltz missed a chance to double his tally for the night when Gold Coast were awarded a penalty, but the normally lethal marksman struck the upright with his spot-kick.

Newcastle’s effort was rewarded on 75 minutes when Zhang Shuo thumped home a consolation goal from close range, before substitute Chris Harold almost made it four for United with a pacy run through the visitor’s defence.

Harold made up for his miss moments later when his cross set up Djite for his second of the match as Gold Coast began to turn up the heat, pinning the Jets back in their own half.

A sprawling save from Kennedy denied Joel Porter a goal on his return, but from the resulting corner Djite pounced to make sure he was first to the ball and completed his hat-trick in true poaching style