South Hobart and Knights break away from pack

Photos (Top to Bottom): Knights goalkeeper Ben Peter saves a shot from Ben Phillips; Juma Barabara scored the Knights' opener; Olympia's Kosta Grillas strains that hamstring again; Adam Hedge (extreme left) shoots Olympia level as three South Hobart senior players sitting behind the goal in comfort watch the action; Knights' Josh Fielding starts an attack from midfield; Olympia's Brady Cronk eludes Knights' Jade Clay under the admiring gaze of team-mate Kosta Grillas; Olympia's Brody Cronk about to take on Alex Holmes; Knights' Brodie Green (left) moves in on Olympia's Warren Wadawu as Knights' Juma Barabara gives his team-mate an encouraging look; Knights' Juma Barabara tackles Olympia's Brady Cronk [PlessPix]

South Hobart and Glenorchy Knights still lead the pack in the Forestry Tasmania Southern Premier League competition after both won their matches on Saturday.

Knights took a 2-point lead at the top after downing Olympia Warriors 4-1 at South Hobart in the afternoon, but South Hobart regained their earlier 1-point lead when they accounted for Clarence United 2-0 away at Wentworth Park in the evening.

Knights almost took the lead against Olympia in the 19th minute when Amadu Koroma broke free on the left and played a tantalising ball across the goalmouth, but Ben Phillips had time to clear the danger.

In the 24th minute, Olympia’s resistance was broken. Daniel White’s corner from the left was flicked on by Koroma and goalkeeper Dmitri Nester could only punch the ball wide of his goal. Alex Holmes nodded it back into the danger area and Juma Barabara fired it home to give Knights the lead.

Olympia were level three minutes later following a Nick Meredith free-kick from deep on the right. Holmes and fellow defender Jacob Huigsloot impeded each other and failed to clear the ball, allowing Brody Cronk a strike at goal. Knights keeper Ben Peter could only parry the shot and Olympia defender Adam Hedge knocked the ball into the net.

Olympia striker Kosta Grillas came off a minute later with a recurrence of a hamstring injury and he may now miss many weeks of action. He had suffered the injury two weeks ago but persuaded coach Chris Hey that he was fit for this match. He had obviously returned to action much too soon.

Olympia’s Zimbabwean recruit Warren Wadawu should have given his side the lead in the 34th minute when he collected a perfect pass from Meredith, but faced with only the goalkeeper to beat, he mis-hit his shot and the ball rolled tamely into Peter’s arms.

Having been let off the hook in this way, Knights restored their lead in the 36th minute after a long throw-in from the left by Jade Clay. The ball was flicked into the 6-yard box by Koroma and Olympia keeper Nester could only flap at it and force it on towards the far post, where White came steaming in to smash a bullet-like shot into the roof of the net.

Two minutes later, it was 3-1 for the visitors after they were awarded a penalty when Hedge was adjudged to have handled Huigsloot’s fierce drive at goal. White easily despatched the spot-kick to claim his second goal of the game.

Phillips hit the bar for Olympia in the second half, while they should also have had a penalty when Tony Dzelalija brought down Chris Kumpulainen, but it was the Knights who extended their lead in the 72nd minute through Koroma, who tucked home White’s cross from the left.

Knights might have had another couple of goals, too, as Nester turned a Huigsloot header against the woodwork and White missed a simple header from close range.

Olympia probably deserved something from this game, but life is tough at the bottom of the table.

A 10th minute deflected shot by Tom Roach put South Hobart ahead against Clarence United, while the home side had an ‘equaliser’ by Luke Cripps disallowed through off-side 13 minutes from the end.

South were down to 10 men at that stage as Garry Upton had been sent off for striking Ben Hamlett.

Jonathon Lo sealed the victory when he scored a simple goal after David Abbott’s long cross from deep on the left had found his team-mate in space with not a defender in sight.

[Detailed match reports and more photos to follow.]

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