Nathan Burns says he was relieved to open his account for the Jets after scoring a brace against Melbourne Victory on Sunday.
Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets attacker Nathan Burns says he was relieved to open his account for the Jets after scoring a brace in Newcastle-s 2-1 win over Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Sunday.
Burns scored a classy double against the Victory on Sunday to lead the Jets to a 2-1 win and propel them up to third on the A-League ladder.
“I wouldn-t say really frustrating, my main focus is to play well, so I was really focusing on my fitness and playing well,” Burns said.
“Sometimes you just need that luck, once you get that first one, how many goals do you see take a deflection or you-re just in the right spot at the right time.
“I knew the goals would come eventually, I was getting myself in good positions, it was just a matter of time before I got that rhythm and found the back of the net.”
Prior to joining the Jets, Burns suffered a serious knee injury playing for Korean outfit Incheon United and had only managed three appearances in 18 months.
Burns has been focused on returning to peak fitness following knee surgery last year and is confident he is getting back to his best.
“I got my fitness back, but you-ve got to get back into the rhythm of the game and the only way to you can do that is by playing matches,” he said.
“You can do shooting practice as much as you want but you-ve got to get the feel in the game and the more games I play, the more touches you get the more confident you are as well.
“I-ll keep improving, it-s hard to say you-re ever at your best because you can always get better, we don-t really have a limit so hopefully I can keep improving.”
The former Socceroo is expecting a tough clash with the Wanderers this weekend but is confident the team can take all three points against last season-s premiers.
“Both teams are very fit so we-ll probably fight it out in the first half and it will probably open up towards the end, especially if it-s going to be a hot day,” he said.
“I think we have to be fresh heading into the game and go out and win the battle because it-s definitely going to be a battle, if we can win the battle than we can take the three points.
“We definitely have the attacking ability and if we can keep a clean sheet than we could have a good result.”
After admiring the Wanderers wave of support last season from afar in Korea, Burns is hopeful the Jets fans can build a good atmosphere and outnumber the travelling Western Sydney supporters.
“Hopefully our fans can turn out in numbers as well and show the Wanderers that we-re a big club as well,” he said.
“Hopefully we can match them because we don-t want them to have the home ground advantage that-s for sure, so if we can get all the support this weekend that would be fantastic.”
Newcastle Jets v Western Sydney Wanderers
Saturday, December 14
Hunter Stadium
Kick-off 7.45pm
Tickets available from PROticket.
