Olympic win lifts them up a place to sixth on the ladder

Photos: Olympic's goalscorers, Hugh Richardson (top) and Michael Bulis
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HOBART OLYMPIC 2-0 GLENORCHY KNIGHTS
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This 2-0 win lifted Hobart Olympic up a place to sixth on the ladder, a point ahead of New Town Eagles and six ahead of bottom-side University.

Eagles are now in second-last place and are in danger of being overtaken by University, who are just five points behind them.

If Glenorchy Knights had been a little luckier - they hit the Olympic woodwork three times in the first half - and if they had been more clinical in their finishing - they missed three other gilt-edged chances in the course of the 90 minutes - they would have won easily.

But, Olympic rode their luck, fought hard, never surrendered, and in the end, won the match with two superbly taken goals.

Chris Tsimiklis almost embarrassed the Knights in the opening seconds when he fired narrowly wide of Ben Peter’s right-hand post. Peter was back in goal in place of the injured Alex Tatnell.

In the 3rd minute, however, Tom Sherman rattled the Olympic crossbar with a magnificent shot from the left, the ball bouncing down and back into play.

In the 7th minute, Corey Smith flicked Jade Clay’s cross on for Amadu Koroma, but he also hit the crossbar.

As the ball rebounded into play, Smith clattered clumsily into Youssef Mohamad, who went down as if he had been pole-axed.

Mr Barker had no hesitation in brandishing the yellow card at Smith. Knights coach, Eamonn Kelly, immediately substituted Smith as he probably thought he would certainly collect a second yellow during the match. Jackson Marsh came on as the replacement.

Olympic took the lead out of the blue in the 19th minute when Hugh Richardson scored with a half-volley from 25 metres that flew into the far right-hand corner of the net past the diving Peter.

Josh Fielding missed a great chance to equalise on the half-hour. He found himself in possession on the right and inside the box but pulled his shot well wide of the near post.

Olympic created another good chance in the 33rd minute, but Michael Bulis’s shot from an acute angle on the right was blocked by Peter and the ball was cleared.

Two minutes before the interval, a deep cross from the right by Jade Clay was headed at goal by Koroma, but Dmitri Nester’s agility enabled him to turn the ball against the bar.

It rebounded to James Hope, whose goal-bound header was cleared off the line by Chris Tsakiris.

Kelly was furious with his players at the break and, after voicing his feelings, stormed out of the dressing room and sat in the stand for the second half.

Fielding also let his team-mates know what he thought at the half-time break.

Dipendra Kunwar came on for Richardson in the 59th minute and it took him just ten minutes to create the second goal for Olympic when he slipped the ball expertly through for Bulis to run on to and score from inside the box.

The Knights’ final chance came gift-wrapped in the 86th minute, but they squandered it.

Clay’s deep cross from the right went to Carl Larzabal, who, in attempting to clear, succeeded only in passing the ball to Hope on the edge of the box, but with time and space, he blazed wide.

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• Hobart Olympic coach, Farrell Shaw, said:

“Probably one of the best team performances we’ve played all year.

“Knights were unlucky. I mean, they hit the crossbar three times in the first half.

“But, then Hugh Richardson scored a screamer from about 20 odd, 25 yards, out which sort of lifted the lads.

“It’s something we’ve been lacking.

“The second half was very even. Dippa [Dipendra Kunwar] came on and did what Dippa does. He runs at players, puts panic in the back-line and created the chance for us.

“We basically then held out. We held out strongly and there weren’t too many chances, which is good. I'm happy with the lads.”

• Glenorchy Knights coach, Eamonn Kelly, said:

“Absolutely woeful. It’s just like taking three steps forward and four steps back.

“The attitude that we came back away from Somerset with was the start of the rot.

“I’ve just said that to them in there. Anybody would think that we had won on Saturday coming back on the bus.

“You know, there’s just no pride. There’s no pride, there’s no commitment and until they find that pride and commitment, this is all that’ll happen week in and week out.

“You can’t have seven chances in the first half and not take them.

“There’s not much point in hitting the crossbar and hitting the post and missing by three inches.

“Goals win games, and if you don’t put it in the back of the net, that’s the result you end up with tonight.”

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Hobart Olympic: Nester - Lebski, Mohamad (Percy 73), P Tsakiris, Tsimiklis - Larzabal. Richardson (Kunwar 59), Mason, C Tsakiris - A Hedge, Bulis (Substitutes not used: Banks, Plomaritis)

Goals: Richardson 19, Bulis 69

Glenorchy Knights: Peter - Lawler, Holmes, Green, Wiggins (Roberts 70) - Clay, Fielding, Hope, Sherman - Smith (Marsh 8), Koroma (Substitute not used: Vavoulas)

Booked: Smith, Wiggins, Sherman

Att: 100

Ref: K Barker