South Hobart regain Lakoseljac Cup after a three-year absence

Photo:  South Hobart celebrate their Lakoseljac Cup win [PlessPix]

(Milan Lakoseljac Cup Final, KGV Park, Monday, 10 June 2019)

South Hobart 2 (T Herweynen 89, I Van Doorne 95)

Devonport City 0

HT:  0-0   Att:  2085  Ref:  S Plomaritis

South Hobart:  Wright  -  Gorrie, Thomas, Ludford, Herweynen  -  Lakoseljac, Feral, Morton  -  Van Doorne, Hamlett, Berezansky  (Subs:  K Brown [GK], Hallam, Hall, Bowman, Evans)

Devonport City:  Pitchford  -  Parke, Reynolds, Mulraney, Smith  -  Syson, Hingston, Stone  -  E Bidwell, Giampaoli, Fitzgerald  (Subs:  Barnard, C Bidwell, Jack Dance, Pearce [GK], West)

Photo:  Connor Parke blocks Bradley Lakoseljac's shot on the line [PlessPix]

South Hobart qualified for the FFA Cup Round-of-32 by winning the Milan Lakoseljac Cup 2-0 against Devonport City at KGV Park on the Queen’s Birthday Monday public holiday.

South Hobart will go into the draw on Wednesday, 26 June, as Tasmania’s representative in the national cup competition.

If they are drawn at home, a suitable venue will have to be found.  KGV Park’s poor lighting and its artificial surface rules it out of contention.  Twin Ovals at Kingston, Blundstone Arena at Bellerive and North Hobart Oval are possible venues.

This was a hard-fought cup final and holders Devonport relinquished their crown to a South Hobart side that last won this trophy in 2015.

The game could have gone either way, but it was Devonport that missed the chance of the match in the 87^th minute, when it was still 0-0.

Photo:  Devonport keeper Nathan Pitchford punches clear [PlessPix]

Max Fitzgerald rounded South Hobart keeper Graham Wright and cut the ball across the goalmouth, where Ignacio Giampaoli was guilty of an incredible miss from one metre out.  He failed to connect cleanly with the ball and somehow sent it against the far right-hand post, where it was cleared.  He could probably have blown it in with a puff of air from his lips.  It was a miss that will haunt him for some time.

Devonport also lived dangerously at times.  Midway through the first half, South Hobart failed to score when Adam Gorrie’s shot from an acute angle on the right deflected off Devonport defender Kieran Mulraney and came back off the far left-hand post and straight into the arms of a grateful Devonport keeper, Nathan Pitchford.

Pitchford had been the busier of the two keepers, producing a couple of full-length diving saves to deny South Hobart’s Ben Hamlett.

Photo:  South Hobart's Tobias Herweynen, who had an excellent game, wins a header against a Devonport opponent [PlessPix]

Bradley Lakopseljac was also unlucky when his goal-bound shot was blocked on the line by Connor Parke.  South claimed handball and a penalty, but the referee would have none of it.

Iskander Van Doorne’s pace down the right wing caused endless problems for Dominic Smith and Eddie Bidwell was eventually put at left-back to try and contain the threat.

With the game seemingly destined for extra-time, South Hobart opened the scoring in the 90^th minute when Nick Morton released Van Doorne on the right and he took the ball to the byeline and crossed to the far post.  Parke was caught ball-watching as the ball sailed over him and the onrushing Tobias Herweynen smashed it left-footed and first-time into the roof of the net from an almost impossible angle to put South Hobart ahead.

Substitute Miles Barnard then somehow outmanoeuvred Hugh Ludford to get to a high ball on the edge of the box and headed towards goal a split second before being wiped out by the advancing goalkeeper, Graham Wright, who had apparently been preferred to youngster Kieran Brown because of his experience.

Photo:  Devonport's Joel Stone and South Hobart's Adam Gorrie lock boots [PlessPix]

A penalty seemed almost certain, but a corner was given as Oscar Thomas headed Barnard’s goal-bound header wide.

The corner, in the 5^th minute of stoppage time, by Fitzgerald was floated into the box, where it was cleared out to Van Doorne, who raced down the wing and stroked the ball home into an empty net to make it 2-0.  Goalkeeper Pitchford, who had gone up for the corner, was desperately racing back, but he had no chance of making up the ground.

Devonport’s Daniel Syson was sent off in the dying seconds after kicking out at Ludford and he was, disappointingly, booed off the pitch by the South Hobart supporters.  Devonport coach, Rick Coghlan, had no dispute with the decision and said Syson’s frustration had obviously got the better of him and the player had apologised to him and to his team-mates afterwards.

Phone:  Devonport's Joel Stone in pursuit of South Hobart's Tobias Herweynen [PlessPix]

The attendance of over 2,000 was excellent and the audience watching on live stream was also impressive.

Football Tasmania must, however, do something about the flood lights at KGV Park as a matter of urgency.  Some of the lights were out (some came back on during the game) and that made things even more dim.  If you are going to have night games, then the lighting must be good and not merely adequate.

The possible inclusion of Brayden Mann in the Devonport team proved a red herring.  He has returned from Victorian club Dandenong and he has re-signed with Devonport.  He was at yeaterday's cup final, but his name was crossed out on the team sheet.

Photo:  South Hobart's Ben Hamlett shields the ball from Devonport's Raphael Reynolds [PlessPix]

South Hobart coach, Ken Morton, said:

“A fantastic cup final.  I think both sides wanted to win and had a go at winning and I think the game was played with good intensity, although I was surprised at how Devonport wanted to go long all the time.

“Overall, a lot of excitement and a lot of huff and puff, but basically, it was a good cup final.”

Photo:  Devonport keeper Nathan Pitchford punches clear at a corner [PlessPix]

Devonport City coach, Rick Coghlan, said:

“I think it was an entertaining game for the spectators. I think it was end-to-end for the most part and it could have gone either way.  There were so many chances created for both sides.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t fall our way, but I don’t want to take anything away from what was a really good cup final, a great cup final.

“We certainly could have gone ahead, and you’d have hoped that that 87^th-minute chance would have put you in a very good position to take it home.

“Very, very close and that miss was very unfortunate.”

Photo:  Devonport coach Rick Coghlan urges his players on [PlessPix]

Photo:  Bradley Lakoseljac and his sister after the game and presentations and his father, Brendon, chatting to Gilly De Souza [PlessPix] 

Photo:  Ken Morton salutes his club's fans and Brendan Lakoseljac embraces his daughter [PlessPix] 

Photo:  South Hobart captain Hugh Ludford with Bradley Lakoseljac, his grandmother, Nerradine, and his sister [PlessPix]