Friday, January 12, 2024

South Hobart to reacquaint themselves with Bentleigh Greens tomorrow after six years

Photo:  Alex Walter (left) playing for South Hobart against Bentleigh Greens in 2018. [PlessPix] 

South Hobart welcome Victorian outfit Bentleigh Greens to South Hobart Oval tomorrow for a noon kick-off in a pre-season friendly.

Much has changed for both clubs since they last met at this venue on 26 January 2018.

Bentleigh Greens won that encounter 4-1.

They were relegated from Victoria’s NPL 1 at the end of last season, however, and will play in the second tier of Victorian football this season.

Their coach, David Chick, was here to face South Hobart last season with Dandenong Thunder.  That match resulted in a 3-3 draw.

Bentleigh Greens were formed in 1987 as a Greek Cypriot-backed club and recently merged with Bayside United.

Only four of South Hobart’s squad tomorrow played against the Victorians in 2018  -  Nick Morton, Adam Gorrie, Reilly Morton and Alex Walter.

In the intervening years, Gorrie has been with Glenorchy Knights and Walter has been playing in Victoria with Hume City after a spell with Glenorchy Knights.

South will have a new Japanese centre-back, Musashi Kokubo, on view, while Matthew Oh has rejoined them after a couple of seasons with Launceston City and last year overseas.

Jacob Herbert has signed for South, as has Austin Yost from Knights, and Kasper Hallam is back from Victoria where he played with Melbourne Victory Youth and Dandenong Thunder.

Hallam was in the Dandenong Thunder squad that visited last year to play South but was injured early in the game and had to be replaced.

Herbert previously played for Melbourne City and has just had a year playing in Serbia.

Devonport City defender Raphael Reynolds has signed for South Hobart for the 2024 season and will be on view.  He should stabilise a defence that often conceded unnecessary goals this past season.

Frenchman Loic Feral has been playing in the social leagues with South but is keen to return to the top flight.

The South Hobart squad is:  Nick O’Connell, Jake Hayers, Adam Gorrie, Reilly Morton, Musashi Kokubo, Loic Feral, Rafa Reynolds, Owen Verdouw, Matthew Oh, Liam Morton, Nick Morton, Jacob Lancaster, Sam Berezansky, Eduardo Castaneda, Jacob Herbert, Alex Walter, Harry Oates, Austin Yost, Kasper Hallam, Rex Maddock.

The Bentleigh Greens squad is:  Andrew Withers, Benjamin McCauley, Christopher Droutsas, Periklis Lambropoulos, Scott Hilliar, James Doyle, Jack McDonald, Christian Cavallo, Erdeniz Yildiz, Jackson Morgan, Tyan Losty, Jay Andrew, Luke Pavlou, Mitchell Rooke, Scott Lochhead, Kieran Dover, Manase Abandebwa, Geoffrey Lino, Tom Strickland, Sean Grella, Lars Kinnander.

Tomorrow’s program begins at 9.15am when South Hobart take on Clarence Zebras in an Under-21 clash, while at 2.15pm South Hobart meet South East United in a Southern Championship pre-season friendly.

 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This would have to be the best squad South have put out in years.

Anonymous said...

Acquaint has a "c" in it...so it's "reacquaint".

Anonymous said...

Your dreaming ,but thanks Dad.