Perth Glory recruit Jordan Elsey insists there is no bad blood between him and Newcastle but says he would love nothing more than to bring down his former side.
Elsey made the move from the Jets to Glory during January's transfer window, and he has received plenty of texts from his former teammates leading into Saturday evening's meeting between the sides at Macedonia Park.
The 28-year-old defender says the Perth lifestyle and the chance to join a club on the rise under coach Ruben Zadkovich were the main reasons behind his move to join Glory on a two-and-a-half year deal.
"There's no bad blood between me and Newcastle and the coaching staff there," Elsey said.
"They pushed me in the right way and they didn't get in the way of this move. They wanted the best for me.
"I have really close mates there, lifelong friends, so there's been a bit of banter coming my way (this week).
"I'm all for a joke, but once the game starts, it's full go."
Elsey was the centre of attention when Perth and Newcastle last faced off on October 15.
The 188cm defender scored a header in the 59th minute - just the sixth goal of his 159-game A-League Men career - but was sent off 13 minutes later for collecting David Williams in the head with his boot.
Despite being down a man, the Jets scored a late winner to secure a 3-2 victory.
Elsey's flying boot had the potential to cause serious damage, and it was one of the first topics raised when he rocked up at Glory for the first time.
"He (Williams) brought it up the first day in the first warm-up. He wanted an apology straight away, but he didn't get it," Elsey said with a smile.
Glory's five-match unbeaten run has lifted them into seventh on the table - level on points with sixth-placed Macarthur - while the Jets moved up to ninth following last week's 4-0 demolition of Brisbane.
Perth could be boosted by the return of star striker Adam Taggart from a quad niggle.
The Jets suffered a blow when former Glory skipper Brandon O'Neill was ruled out, but former Japan international Manabu Saito is a chance to make his club debut.
Glory have posted four wins and two draws from their six matches at Macedonia Park, and they will be aiming to continue that dominant form against the Jets.
Elsey played a full 90 minutes on his Glory debut last Saturday, helping the side recover from 2-0 down to secure a 2-2 draw away at Wellington.
