Melbourne Heart have moved level with Newcastle in sixth place on the A-League ladder after a 1-1 draw with Perth Glory at nib Stadium on Saturday night.
It was a crucial game for the Heart after Newcastle replaced them in sixth position during the week and the draw puts them back on equal points with the Jets. They do have a tough run, though, with the Victory, Brisbane Roar and Central Coast Mariners to come in the next three weeks.
The Glory came into the game missing experienced duo Jacob Burns and Jamie Coyne on top of losing Chris Coyne for the rest of the season with an Achilles injury, but looked the better team for the most part with the opening goal and appearing to score a second that was disallowed.
After an entertaining first half-hour with chances at both ends of the pitch, the Glory got the advantage when Todd Howarth slotted home a goal in the 34th minute.
After Robbie Fowler put a ball into the box that Tommy Amphlett was able to get down to Howarth, the stand-in Perth captain had no trouble then slotting it home from point-blank range.
The Glory appeared to make it 2-0 in the 63rd minute when a Jamie Harnwell header, which was flicked on by Scott Neville, appeared to cross the line before Melbourne's Wayne Srhoj cleared, however, referee Gerard Parsons and his assistants disagreed.
The home fans weren't happy and even less so when seven minutes later the Heart levelled through a spectacular bicycle kick from Alex Terra. That proved enough for the draw with Neville's last second strike falling just wide.
The draw keeps the Glory four points clear of bottom-placed North Queensland.
Perth Glory 1 (Howarth 34')
Melbourne Heart 1 (Terra 70')
Crowd: 7962 at nib Stadium. 15/01/2011