Diego Castro stars as Perth Glory defeat Newcastle Jets

Diego Castro is congratulated by his teammates after scoring.
Diego Castro is congratulated by his teammates after scoring.
Paul Kane/Getty Images

Diego Castro is congratulated by his teammates after scoring.
Diego Castro is congratulated by his teammates after scoring.
Paul Kane/Getty Images

Rhys Williams made his long-awaited A-League return and Diego Castro scored a brace in Perth Glory's 3-2 win over Newcastle Jets in Saturday's clash at nib Stadium.

Castro had two goals to his name by half-time in yet another dazzling display from the Spaniard in front of 12,903 fans.

The 34-year-old converted the penalty he won in the 13th minute after his brilliant side-step fooled Jets defender Nigel Boogaard into making an unnecessary foul.

Jets striker Andrew Hoole levelled the score with a brilliant rising header in the 37th minute.

But Castro restored the lead just five minutes later when he scored from a tight angle after getting past Jets defender Daniel Mullen.

Adam Taggart made it 3-1 in the 59th minute when he tapped in a beautiful curling ball from Josh Risdon.

But Jason Hoffman's thunderbolt in the 71st minute ensured a nervy finish as the Jets frequently pressed into the final third only to fail to find the net.

Williams had not featured for Perth since becoming embroiled in a bitter stand-off with the club over his bid to join rivals Sydney FC.

Perth stood firm in their stance of not releasing him during the transfer window, and it sparked a war of words between Williams' manager and the club.

But Williams' seven-game absence finally came to an end when he replaced injured defender Shane Lowry in the 38th minute.

Williams was solid in the heart of defence, but was left worse for wear in stoppage time after a heavy clash of heads with teammate Dino Djulbic.

Williams played out the match to ensure Glory snared all three points.

Glory's win saw them close to within two points of fourth-placed Melbourne City, while the Jets slid to seventh and face a battle to secure a finals berth.