Revenge is on the mind of Auckland FC, and they are not afraid to spell it out ahead of Thursday’s game against the Newcastle Jets.

Modern sports teams can often be cautious ahead of matches, diving into cliches, particularly the favoured “we are just focusing on ourselves” mantra. But Auckland FC are clearly still hurting from the surprise A-League loss to the Jets at the end of November and are desperate to seek retribution, with assistant coach Danny Hay making that clear this week.

“It has to be [about revenge],” said Hay. “We know we owe them one, after them being the only team that beat us. We don’t like losing games and we particularly don’t like losing games at home.”

Even upon reflection, the clash a month ago was one of the strangest days in the club’s history. Newcastle came to Go Media Stadium sitting last on the A-League ladder and left with a 2-1 victory, with a long period of the second half played on a flooded pitch, after torrential rain.

The result represents just the third time in 19 matches that Auckland have tasted defeat at their fortress. The previous two losses, both last season, had come to a hot Western United team that would finish third on the ladder and an experienced Melbourne Victory team that managed a finals ambush, replicating their efforts in Wellington a year earlier. Whereas this one, on the surface, made no sense. But it also epitomises Newcastle’s win or bust campaign, from their young squad of gunslingers, who have scored more goals (20) than any other A-League team.

Newcastle have enjoyed some memorable wins, including toppling Sydney FC two weeks ago, smashing Melbourne Victory in round two and overwhelming the Phoenix in the capital. However, alongside that they have lost six matches and conceded a league-high 22 goals. Hay admitted that Auckland FC had been caught out last time, as they dropped their guard and were punished.

“We don’t think we prepared as well mentally as we usually do and the boys were just a little bit off,” Hay said. “There were probably a few factors in that. [And] the deluge in the second half, with half a metre of rain didn’t help. But [Newcastle] are a very good team, they deserved to win and were the better side.”

Callan Elliott dejected after a rare Auckland FC home loss. Photo / Photosport

There will be no complacency this time, from neither players nor staff. That was shown in an intense session on Tuesday, with plenty of drills to negate Newcastle’s attacking threat, especially in transition.

“We know when we are in possession, they are a very dangerous team,” explained Hay. “They counter, they have a lot of pace, so we need to make sure our rest defence is spot on. That has been a focus in our buildup.”

The Auckland FC squad enjoyed an unexpected recent hiatus, after their Sydney FC match (scheduled for December 27) was postponed due to problems with the pitch at Leichhardt Oval, which shelved their travel plans for Christmas Day afternoon.

“It was a good surprise,” said goalkeeper Michael Woud. “Obviously we wanted to play Sydney but to be able to spend Christmas at home was a nice little reward for us being top of the table.

It probably wasn’t ideal in terms of momentum – after the impressive win over Western Sydney Wanderers on December 19th – but was a definite boost for the playing group, with some of the Australian players and non-Auckland-born men making a quick trip back to see families and friends.

The serious business starts again on Thursday, with Auckland determined to start 2026 on the right note. Coach Steve Corica, who missed Tuesday’s training session due to illness, should have a full squad to pick from, with all those in the casualty ward back from injury.

“We want to win,” said Hay. “We want to pick up three points, with the run that we are on and we know we have a big crowd turning up.”

Auckland FC home defeats, October 2024-December 2025

December 21, 2024: v Western United 1-4

May 24, 2025: v Melbourne Victory 0-2 (semi-final)

November 29 2025: v Newcastle Jets 1-2

Michael Burgess has been a Sports Journalist for the New Zealand Herald since 2005, covering the Olympics, Fifa World Cups, and America’s Cup campaigns. He is a co-host of the Big League podcast.