Jets offer Byrnes chance to fire up

THE NEWCASTLE HERALD

By James Gardiner

FORMER Melbourne Victory and Australian youth defender Mark Byrnes hopes to reignite his A-League career at the Newcastle Jets.
Byrnes, 26, is on trial with the Jets and is expected to play in the A-League champions' final Pre-Season Cup match against Melbourne in Port Macquarie on Saturday.

A tall central defender, Byrnes was vice-captain of the Victory but was let go after they won the 2006-07 A-League title.

Jets coach Gary van Egmond is keen to add some depth to his central defensive stocks.

Captain Jade North will miss the opening two games of the season proper on duty with the Olyroos at the Beijing Olympics, leaving Antun Kovacic and Adam Griffiths as the only recognised centre backs in the squad.

"We will have a look at Byrnes for this week, and hopefully we can get him through for the game on Saturday," van Egmond said.

Byrnes trialled in England at lower-division clubs Port Vale and Luton Town earlier this year and has most recently been playing for Apia Leichhardt in the NSW Premier League.

A teammate alongside North in the Australian under-17 side which made the World Cup final in 1999, Byrnes has been somewhat of a soccer globetrotter.

Before Melbourne he played in the old national league at Parramatta Power followed by stopovers at Salzburg (Austria), Vicenza Calcio (Italy), Sydney Olympic, Perth and Hameenlinna (Finland).

In a further boost to the Jets' defensive stocks, Beau Busch has been given a release by Manly United and is likely to link with the Jets as a short-term injury replacement for Shaun Ontong.

But today is D-day for another triallist, Danish midfielder Jesper Hakansson.

Hakansson was not cleared in time to play in the Jets' scoreless draw against Perth and could complete his stay without playing a game.

Hakansson has just two training sessions in Port Macquarie, where the squad is in camp leading up to the Adelaide game, to convince van Egmond of his worth.

"Obviously playing against someone like Adelaide would have given us a better insight into how he would go," the coach said yesterday.

"He has some real qualities. I want to see what he is like in a finishing drill and things like that.

"He is not unlike a young Andre Gumprecht. He gets around the park well and has a good mentality.

"The only thing we do need to ensure is that we have people who can score goals."

The Jets are still waiting for Cameroon striker Brice Severin Bikoko to gain a visa to visit Australia for a trial, but Tsatsimas admitted yesterday that the chances of that happening were lengthening.

Likewise, the Jets' chances of securing a major sponsorship are doubtful after discussions with a national company hit a stumbling block over incentives.

"The situation is a bit delicate at the moment," Tsatsimas said.

"The issue that we have is that the proposal is highly incentive-based. That is not something that we are comfortable with."

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