Clarence and Rangers to meet in State-wide cup final

Clarence United reached their first State-wide cup final ever when they beat Tilford Zebras 3-1 at home at Wentworth Park this evening in the semi-finals of the Milan Lakoseljac Memorial Trophy competition.

In the final, they will meet Northern Rangers, who downed Somerset 5-3 away at Cardigan Street this afternoon in the other semi-final.

Rangers, who were only formed in 2000, reached the final of the State-wide Vase competition that year, where they lost 7-1 to Metro.

Clarence and Zebras both squandered early chances, but it was Zebras who hit the front after 6 minutes through Jayden Welch, who struck home a cross from the right from close range at the second attempt, after he initially had appeared to lose control of the ball.

Sam McIntyre equalised in the 12^th minute after Zebras failed to clear a corner and the youngster toed the ball over the line.

Zebras, who were without the injured Ricky Self, almost regained the lead shortly after, but Kurt Engels’s shot, which bounced just in front of the diving goalkeeper, Michael Moschogianis, hit the left-hand post and rebounded to safety.

Dwayne Walsh, the former Clarence player, then missed a good chance for Zebras from close range, flicking the ball wide with only the keeper to beat.

Zebras suffered a set-back on the stroke of half-time when Paul Cairns was shown a second yellow card and sent off by Mr Jozeljic after the midfielder had prevented Clarence from taking a quick free-kick.

Ben Hamlett put Clarence in front in the 51^st minute with an accurate low shot on the run.

The body language of the Zebras defenders said it all at this stage. They had their heads bowed, walked slowly upfield at goal-kicks and did not even face their own keeper to see where the ball was going to land.

Their hopes should have been revived in the 63^rd minute when Clarence striker Andy Barron was sent off after using foul, abusive and threatening language towards an opponent, in this case, Henry Fagg.

But, seven minutes later, Zebras fell further behind when Ryan Smith conceded a penalty by bringing down Mattias Toghill, who was in full flight down the right.

Hamlett stepped up and calmly stroked home the spot-kick to make it 3-1 for the home side.

Both sides made substitutions before the end, but nothing could change the course of this match and Clarence ran out comfortable winners.

Andrew Nicholson put Rangers ahead against Somerset when the home side’s goalkeeper could only punch a clearance straight to Nicholson’s feet.

Rangers should have taken the lead in only the second minute, but Derek Schipper missed a penalty.

Former Clarence player Paul Bremner made it 2-0 when he pounced on the loose ball, which had been struck at goal but stopped just short because of the heavy conditions.

Bremner added the third after Nicholson’s shot was parried straight to him.

George Miller pulled a goal back for the Sharks with a fine 30-metre drive, but Rangers’ centre-back Sam Luck made it 4-1 for the visitors at the interval.

Mark Ambrose added Rangers’ fifth after the break when he beat the keeper at the near post following a through-ball from Gabriel Tams.

Somerset managed two more goals in the second period, through Barry Hamilton’s shot from the edge of the box, and through a deflection by Miller, but they could not make up the lost ground.

In Forestry Tasmania Northern Premier League games played today, Prospect Knights beat Riverside Olympic 1-0 at Harley Parade, and the visiting Burnie United overcame Launceston City 2-1 at Mitsubishi Park.

The win put fourth-placed Prospect Knights level on points with third-placed Somerset, while third-last Burnie stayed in seventh spot but increased the distance between them and second-last Launceston City to 7 points.

In the southern Division One competition’s top-of-the-table clash, leaders Metro needed a late penalty, converted by Scotsman Ricky Orr, to salvage a point in a 4-4 draw away to second-placed Taroona at Kelvedon Park.

Orr had given Metro the lead in the 6^th minute, only for the league-leaders to be pegged back by Marcus Atkinson’s equaliser in the 12^th minute,

Goals by Aaron Marney in the 15^th and 29^th minutes gave Metro a 3-1 lead at half-time.

Strikes by Hugo Luttmer in the 50^th minute and Jack Elliott in the 57^th made it 3-3, while a goal by Chris Cox gave Taroona a 4-3 lead with 22 minutes remaining.

A handball by Hamish Macgregor in the 82^nd minute enabled Orr to earn the visitors a draw, which keeps Metro 3 points ahead of Taroona.

The draw kept third-placed Beachside within striking distance of the leading pair after they beat bottom-side Hobart United 6-1 at the Showground.

Bernhard Klasen hit a hat-trick, Damien Lowe grabbed a brace, and Colin Wain found the target once for Beachside, while Akuel Guot scored United’s consolation goal.

Fifth-placed Northern Suburbs DOSA netted twice in each half to dispose of second-last Christian United 4-0 at the Showground, Mark Wakefield grabbing a hat-trick and John Visentin netting the other goal.