Newcastle Jets climbed into second place in the A-League with a 1-0 win over Melbourne Victory at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Sunday.

The Jets jumped above Sydney FC and Central Coast Mariners into the box seat for a major semi-final showdown with Adelaide.

The Victory, meanwhile, fell to seventh, five points adrift of fourth place and, with just two rounds remaining, virtually out of finals contention.

Newcastle striker Vaughan Coveny made the decisive strike in the 36th minute after a spell of sustained pressure from the home side.

Coveny smashed a shot into the roof of the net from a tight angle, with Melbourne defender Geoffrey Claeys biting at his heels.

It was the New Zealand striker's third goal in six appearances for the Jets.

Two matches into a four-game spell at home to end the season, the Jets looked confident.

Their passing game was better than it had been in weeks, and a five-man midfield worked the flanks well.

But for periods of the second half the home side sat back to defend its lead.

The visitors pushed for an equaliser but lacked the skill to find the net.

Melbourne's best chance came when Danny Allsopp headed against a post in the 58th minute.

Moments later, Ante Milicic flashed a left-footed shot wide at the other end.

Melbourne did look dangerous in midfield led by a roaming Kristian Sarkies and Kevin Muscat in a holding role.

But it was Newcastle that fashioned the first clear chance of the game when Coveny set up his strike partner Milicic in the 10th minute.

Milicic attempted to round Melbourne goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos instead of shooting, but the keeper blocked his run.

Five minutes later, Newcastle midfielder Richard Johnson blasted over from 20 metres, after skilful play by Matt Thompson down the right flank.

Two headers from Muscat and Vince Lia shortly before halftime held promise for the visitors, but they went straight to Newcastle keeper Liam Reddy.

Melbourne's Steve Pantelidis tapped a shot just wide 11 minutes from fulltime.

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