In one of the longest football games ever recorded, Macarthur FC were narrowly edged out by Newcastle Jets, suffering a 1-0 defeat in a game that lasted almost four hours.
In a match delayed by 95 minutes, requiring players to undergo warm-ups three times, the Bulls were undone by an early Trent Buhagiar goal.
Saturday’s match at Campbelltown Stadium had already been pushed back by an hour due to extreme heat before a wild storm halted play twice due to lightning strikes in the area.
“It’s difficult but the safety of the players is important but it is hard for the players to cool down, warm-up, then cool down and warm-up and again that can be dangerous for them,” Bulls coach Mile Sterjovski said.
Despite the result, it was a match Macarthur FC dominated despite the result. The Bulls held 66 per-cent of possession, had 17 shots to five but couldn’t find the vital breakthrough.
The match began in sapping heat before wild winds quickly took over. In the changing conditions, a long-ball caught in the wind wreaked havoc on the Bulls defence, allowing Buhagiar to score in the 8th minute.
Minutes before the break Jonathan Aspropotamitis forced a fine save from Jets’ goalkeeper with a powerful strike at the near post.
Substitute Ali Auglah created another great chance in the second half, beating one player before lashing a powerful strike inches away from the target.
Matt Millar showed his danger from set pieces, firing a glancing header narrowly over the bar but for all the Bulls’ pressure, they couldn’t find a late equaliser.
