Sydney FC’s goal drought and winless streaks continued as Newcastle goalkeeper Ben Kennedy earned the Jets their first clean sheet of the season in the A-League’s first match in Wollongong.

The 0-0 draw at WIN Stadium on Saturday stretched to 374 minutes the time since Sydney last scored and extended their winless run to seven, their worst run for four years.

Kennedy made several saves to frustrate fifth-placed Sydney and deny the crowd of 11,377 a goal, as FC had 20 shots to seven.

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After conceding in each of their previous 13 games, ninth-placed Newcastle finally kept an opponent scoreless and had chances to win the game, particularly in the second half.

Sydney’s Austrian international striker Marc Janko came the closest to breaking the deadlock before halftime.

He bulged the net with a spectacular left-foot volley, rubbed out by a marginal offside call and struck the post with a legitimate effort.

Janko was off target from close range when he followed up after Kennedy parried shots from Alex Brosque and Peter Triantis.

Bernie Ibini headed wide from close range and had a strong shot pouched by Kennedy as well.

Newcastle created few opportunities before the break, with an unmarked Mitch Cooper miskicking a volley wide and Geronimo blasting a powerful shot over the bar.

With Joel Griffiths replacing Cooper at halftime, the previously cautious Jets showed much more enterprise and had three good chances in the first ten minutes of the second half.

Geronimo had one header saved by Vedran Janjetovic and put another one wide.

Janjetovic then fumbled a corner and Adrian Madaschi watched his header cleared off the line by Sydney captain Brosque.

Sydney regained the ascendancy with Brosque and Ibini each having an effort saved by Kennedy and Janko blasting a free-kick over the bar.

Jets substitute Edson Montano had an instant impact, firing in a powerful shot which Janjetovic tipped away.

The impassable Kennedy pushed away another effort from Ibini and he saved one final header from Janko.

– AAP