Photo: South Hobart skipper Nick Morton heads wide against Devonport City. [PlessPix] The game of the 12th round of the NPL was
undoubtedly on Sunday when South Hobart and Devonport City drew 2-2.
That was the result Glenorchy Knights were hoping for as
it has put them back within range of the leading pair after thrashing Kingborough
Lions United 7-3 away at Lightwood Park on Saturday night.
Clarence Zebras and Launceston City drew 1-1 at Wentworth
Park, but the bottom-of-the-table Launceston United versus Riverside Olympic
game was postponed because of poor ground conditions.
South Hobart Oval was slippery and wet but quite playable.
I have seen it much, much worse when I was a kid.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s there were often three
top-flight games on a Saturday afternoon at South Hobart and the ground was
sometimes so muddy you couldn’t tell which teams were wearing which
shirts. Both sides seemed to be wearing
the same muddy strip,
The ground was far from that on Sunday.
Photo: Devonport's Nick Lanau-Atkinson tries desperately to cut out a cross by South Hobart's Harrison Oates. [PlessPix] This was a high tempo game and one which had a lot riding
on it.
South Hobart received five yellow cards and Devonport City
six (one was issued to coach Tom Ballantyne, who was shown a second yellow and
then a red).
Devonport took the lead in the 14th minute when
Toby Barton won a high ball against keeper Nick O’Connell and nodded it down
for Charles Bidwell to slam home.
South Hobart equalised in the 38th minute when
Austn Yost crossed low and hard from the left and Nick Morton appeared to get a
touch as the ball beat keeper Mitchell Higgins and rolled slowly along the line
before hitting the far post and going in.
Yost and Morton both claimed the goal, but the referee has awarded it to
Yost. I thought Morton has taken the
pace of the ball with his touch and that’s what beat the keeper.
Photo: Devonport's Charles Bidwell loos for a way past South Hobart's Tobias Herweynen. [PlessPix] Sam Berezansky put South Hobart ahead in bizarre fashion
in the 51st minute. A
through-ball weas let go by Kieran Mulraney so that his keeper could gather it,
but Higgins, making his Devonport debut, attempted to clear and the ball
cannoned off the approaching Berezansky and into the net.
It was 2-2 in the 63rd minute when Xuan
Cappellino was adjudged to have been fouled by O’Connell as they both went for
the ball and Mr Coad awarded a penalty to Devonport. Cappellino took the spot-kick himself and
netted easily.
South Hobart would consider themselves unfortunate not to
have been awarded a penalty earlier when Harrison Oates appeared to be brought down inside the box, but Mt Coad
waved play on.
Photo: Devonport's new signing Xuan Cappellino seemed to spend more time on the ground than on his feet. [PlessPix] It stayed at 2-2 and both sides are now looking over their
shoulders as Glenorchy Knights stay on their heels.
Knights absolutely took the Lions to the cleaners.
The visitors were 5-0 up in just half an hour as Nick Mearns,
Josh Redfearn, Nick Naden, Stefan Cordwell and Rilet Dillon all found the net
in a clinical display.
Kingborough managed to score twice in the latter stages of
the second half through Kobe Kemp and Noah Mies to take the score to 5-2, but goals
by Henry Bain and Redfearn blew the margin out to 7-2 again.
Mies completed his brace in stoppage time to make the
final score 7-3, but it was a real whipping for the Lions.
Photo: Clarence Zebras' Ben Tilley about to tackle a Launceston City attacker. [PlessPix] Clarence Zebras took and early lead against the visiting
Launceston City at Wentworth Park on Saturday when Kyle Vincent headed home
after just 3 minutes.
City stuck to their task and were rewarded in the 77th
minute when Joel Stone showed calmness and skill to create an angle in midfield
and rifle home the equaliser.
Photo: Launceston City's Joel Stone is sent tumbling. [PlessPix] NPL Tasmania
Clarence Zebras 1 (Kyle Vincent 3’) drew with Launceston
City 1 (Joel Stone 77’)
Launceston United v Riverside Olympic [Postponed]
Kingborough Lions United 3 (Kobe Kemp 76’, Noah Mies 77’,
90+2’) lost to Glenorchy Knights 7 (Nick Mearns 7’, Josh Redfearn 14’, 88’,
Nick Naden 20’, Stefan Cordwell 21’, Riley Dillon 29’, Henry Bain 82’)
South Hobart 2 (Nick Morton 38’, Sam Berezansky 51) drew
with Devonport City 2 (Charles Bidwell 14’, Xuan Cappellino 63’ pen)
Photo: Fritz Fleury, Clarence Zebras' new French import, came on as a substitute. He was in an Olympique Lyonnais youth team back in France. [PlessPix] NPL Tasmania Standings (As at 29 June 2024)
|
TEAM
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
F
|
A
|
Pts
|
|
South Hobart
|
12
|
8
|
4
|
0
|
33
|
14
|
28
|
|
Devonport City
|
12
|
7
|
5
|
0
|
34
|
11
|
26
|
|
Glenorchy Knights
|
12
|
7
|
4
|
1
|
48
|
14
|
25
|
|
Kingborough Lions
|
12
|
6
|
3
|
3
|
40
|
27
|
21
|
|
Launceston City
|
12
|
4
|
3
|
5
|
18
|
18
|
15
|
|
Clarence Zebras
|
12
|
3
|
1
|
8
|
20
|
29
|
10
|
|
Riverside Olympic
|
11
|
2
|
0
|
9
|
14
|
45
|
6
|
|
Launceston United
|
11
|
0
|
0
|
11
|
9
|
58
|
0
|
Photo: Launceston City's goalkeeper Lachlan Clark goes for a cross. [PlessPix]
Photo: Devonport's Riku Ichimura gets past South Hobart's Adam Gorrie. [PlessPix]
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