Jason Hoffman nodded home from a Mitch Cooper corner in the 53rd minute to hand the Jets a confidence-boosting result in their last match against A-League opposition before the season starts next month.

Newcastle started with Brazilian import Leonardo leading the line but were dealt a blow on 11 minutes when Labinot Haliti was forced off the field after a poor challenge by Eddy Bosnar.

The injury seemed to ruffle the Jets as the Mariners took control of the match.

Jets keeper Mark Birighitti was forced into making two top drawer saves from a sharp Fabio Ferreira in a first-half that ended scoreless.

However, Newcastle returned to the field with gusto in the second half, and quickly took the lead through Hoffman.

The right-back rose highest to direct his header past Paul Izzo in the Mariners’ goal.

Izzo was then forced into making a good save when Enver Alivodic tried a cheeky chip over the on-rushing keeper.

Newcastle continued to create scoring chances for the remainder of the half, but in the end it was just the one goal that separated the two sides.

Jets coach Scott Miller praised his side’s second-half display after a shaky start to the match.

‘‘?Definitely Central Coast had the better of the chances in the first half, and we lacked a little bit of confidence and belief in possession,’’ he said.

‘‘But I asked for a reaction at half time and got it.’’

In more Jets news, Clayton Zane has returned as the club’s Youth League head coach for the 2015/16 season.

The Novocastrian, who has spent the past five months working with the club’s Emerging Jets program, was controversially sacked from his role as first-team assistant coach by former owner Nathan Tinkler as part of a shock club clean-out in January.

The 38-year-old said that he was glad to again be involved with the Jets once, and wanted to see more local players graduating to the senior team.

"I have a very good relationship with the two coaches with the first team,’’ Zane said.?

‘‘We have a good opportunity to establish a really strong link between the Emerging Jets and the first team, with the youth team in the middle.

?"Hopefully we can help some of [the local juniors] through to the first team."