ENGLISH import Carl Jenkinson looks set to brave the pain barrier and take his place in Newcastle's starting line-up for Saturday's season-ending clash with arch-rivals Central Coast at McDonald Jones Stadium.
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Jenkinson was replaced late in the Jets' 1-all draw with Wellington Phoenix at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night after landing heavily on his shoulder.
The 32-year-old former England international has a history of shoulder problems and twice needed surgical repairs during his time at English Premier League heavyweights Arsenal.
"He's had shoulder surgery in the past, and it just sort of dislocated and went back in," Jets coach Rob Stanton said.
"He'll be sore. We'll see how he is.
"Hopefully he'll be all right ... fingers crossed. We'll see how he pulls up.
"He'll be sore but hopefully he'll be right."
Jenkinson is understood to have pulled up better than expected and is in contention to play in Saturday's derby.
It shapes as his last chance to push for a new deal with Newcastle, as he is in the final weeks of a two-season contract.
After making 23 appearances last season, a groin injury has restricted him to eight games this year, but Stanton said the defender had been a valuable contributor behind the scenes.
"He's shown some good leadership ... he's passionate about it," Stanton said.
"He wants to make sure we finish well. I can see it.
"Every day at training he's been working hard, and that's why he's in the team."
Stanton said Jenkinson "put a big shift in" against Wellington and disputed the penalty the veteran conceded for handball in the process of being injured.
Fortunately for Newcastle, Wellington's Alex Rufer pushed the spot-kick wide.
"I'm disappointed it was a penalty," Stanton said.
"I thought it was a foul on our player for pushing him, to be fair.
"But I guess everything works out in the end.
"He decided to give a penalty. I'm not going to say I can't argue with him.
"But in the end it probably worked out the way it should have, in my opinion."
AAP reports: Alen Stajcic says Perth Glory are in need of a total rebuild following another A-League wooden-spoon campaign, but the coach doesn't want the reconstruction to be a drawn-out process.
Glory are guaranteed to finish on the bottom of the ladder after slumping to a 4-3 loss to fellow strugglers Western United in Perth on Sunday.
It marked the second wooden spoon in the past three years for the Glory.
"It's pretty clear we need a reboot," Stajcic said.
Perth were without an owner for a huge part of the current campaign, before property mogul Ross Pelligra bought the club in February.
With former Socceroos star Stan Lazaridis now Glory's football director, the club has big plans to rebuild quickly - with a focus on home-grown talent.
"We really need to rebuild this team and this club, and give it a new positivity and identity," Stajcic said on Saturday.
"It's got to start from me and the front office and float on through to the whole staff and club."
Stajcic has been in this position before.
Between 2016 and 2020, Central Coast finished bottom of the pile in four of five seasons.
Stajcic was coach at Gosford for the final wooden spoon in that period, but the following year he lifted the Mariners to third on the ladder.
Nick Montgomery took over after that, helping guide the Mariners to fifth in 2021/22 and to a memorable title last season.
Central Coast, under new coach Mark Jackson, are currently sitting in second spot on the ladder.
Stajcic is desperate to guide Glory out of the doldrums, and he sees many parallels with what his former club went through.
"It's almost identical," Stajcic said.
"The club wasn't in receivership at the Mariners. But you know, we were working off the salary floor for seven, eight years even before my arrival.
"They'd picked up five or six wooden spoons in the previous seven, eight years, and even when they weren't last, they were second or third last.
"(Glory) has got the same pattern - four years now of similar positions on the ladder.
"I believe that we've put in a good foundation, but I'm not sitting here saying that it's enough.
"No one wants to sit through another 12 months and say, 'Oh, it's a five-year plan'. It's not a five-year plan."
Stajcic said getting bulk minutes into the club's younger players had been a big positive in a disappointing campaign.
And the form of striker Adam Taggart, who leads the ALM's golden-boot race with 19 goals following his double against Western United, has also been a huge highlight.
Glory round out their season away to Sydney FC on Sunday.
