Walter Pless on Association Football

Abdaltam replaces Harrison at Knights

2011-05-02T16:58:00.004+10:00

Photo: New Knights coach Ahmed Abdaltam sits with former Knights coach Nick Harrison at South Hobart on Sunday [PlessPix]

Glenorchy Knights have sacked coach Nick Harrison and have today appointed Ahmed Abdaltam as his replacement.

Harrison is the second coaching casualty of the Premier League season following the dismissal by Olympia of Chris Hey three weeks ago.

Ironically, the Knights registered their first league win of the season only yesterday when they beat Beachside 3-2 away at Sandown Park to move off the foot of the ladder and into sixth place.

Glenorchy Knights president Zac Baltic announced the appointment of Abdaltam, a former player with the club, a few minutes ago.

He said Harrison had been asked to step down but had declined, so the club committee had taken the decision to dismiss him.

Baltic said he hoped Harrison would stay with the club in some other capacity, possibly even as a committee member.

He said the players had also asked for a change of coach and the decision had to be made sooner rather than later because there comes a point of no return.

Abdaltam had a distinguished playing career. He played professionally in Greece and Egypt before coming to Australia.

He has had coaching positions previously with Juventus, Olympia and Metro.

Harrison took over at Glenorchy Knights following the departure of previous coach Eamonn Kelly last season and was appointed again this year.

He had said after yesterday’s win that his position was not secure and that club president Zac Baltic had not been able to give him an assurance that he would remain as coach.

New site is up and running

2011-02-11T11:54:00.001+11:00

Well, the day has finally dawned.

My new site is up and running.

This site will remain open, but no new material will be added. All the material on this site has been transferred to the new site so that’s where you can also find archival material and photographs.

My new site is:

www.walterpless.com.au

Happy reading.

Thursday night A-League result

2011-02-11T01:23:00.003+11:00

Photo: Newcastle Jets take off against Perth to keep alive their finals hopes [Qantas VH-VYF taking off from Hobart, PlessPix]

A-League

Newcastle Jets 4 (Haliti 13, Brockie 55, Petrovski 67 pen, 69) beat Perth Glory 0

Att: 7,286

Ref: M Breeze

Start of Summer Cup throws up some interesting rivalries

2011-02-11T00:31:00.002+11:00

Photos (Top to Bottom): Metro's Aaron Marney is unlikely to play against Nelson; Northern NSW coaching director David Smith and FFT CEO John Boulous examine Olympia's new artificial pitch yesterday; Portable goals are being used for training and a 68m x 6m fence will be built at this end of the ground; Looking at the goal at the Bligh Street end of the ground; David Smith (left) and John Boulous (right) discuss the new ground with Olympia president George Mamacas. The ground will not be used for the Summer Cup series [PlessPix]

South Hobart begin their defence of the Summer Cup when they take on Clarence United in the opening round of the competition at KGV Park on Saturday at 2pm in a Group B match.

At first glance, this seems an easy fixture for South Hobart, who won all five trophies on offer last season.

But, this is 2011 and not last season and things have changed.

Clarence have certainly been weakened by a number of departures, but South Hobart will also be missing some key players from last season.

And, Clarence have had some good cup results against South Hobart in the past, so nothing can be taken for granted.

In a departure from last season’s format, this season’s Summer Cup matches will be 90 minutes in duration and sides will need to be up to speed from the start of the tournament if they are to do well.

“Saturday’s team will be fairly strong,” said South Hobart coach, Ken Morton, whose team will also be in action on Sunday in Launceston in the Steve Hudson Cup series.

“Mostly the senior squad from last year will play, and I think that’s only fair, considering the efforts of last year and pre-season so far.

“On Sunday, we’ll take a fairly young side, but most of them have played Premier League.

“We’ll be fairly strong across the board on Saturday. We’re in both competitions to win them, but we’re still having to juggle to get people through the weekends. We’re not wanting to put too much stress on people.

“The only one that is a doubt is Luke Huigsloot [the former Clarence player], who is injured.

“It looks something like Moncur, Pennicott, Brown, Ludford, Loic, and if Huigsloot plays, it’ll be him, Roach and Hickey, and then Brennan, Kanakaris and Lo. It’s fairly strong. Hugo Bladel will be in there, too.”

Ben Parker is the new captain of Clarence and he will lead the side with his usual no-nonsense approach.

Chris Tsakiris is likely to play, as are two new 17-year-olds, including Will Malovnek, while Trent Cornish will be in goal.

“The rest have all played before,” said Clarence coach, Andrew Brown. “Some reserve players will be stepping up.

“I have no idea how we’ll go as we’ve only been training for four weeks.

“I expect we’ll cause a few problems and I also suspect we may run out of legs.

“But, either way, we’ll go out there and try and win it. It’s a cup game, and you’ve got to win cup games.

“We’ll go out and attack South Hobart and see what happens. We’re looking forward to it.”

The noon match at KGV Park is between Tilford Zebras and University in Group A.

Zebras have recruited at least eight new players over the summer and should be much too strong for University, who have lost coach Kevan Wright, who has moved to Broome in his employment for three months.

Liam Scott and Sam McIntyre are two of the recruits who should see action against University.

In an all-Division One clash at North Chigwell at noon, Nelson Eastern Suburbs from Group B meet Metro from Group D. This is a cross-group pairing because these groups have only three teams each.

Metro will field German exchange student, 17-year-old Lars Engisch, and NSW newcomer Lee Yuell, as well as Adam Woodward and Nathan Daniels.

Jayden Wiggins and Aaron Marney are injured and are unlikely to play, which means Kye McQueen and Geoff Wicks will probably get a run.

Nelson will be without midfielders Bill Hanley, Andrew Gaskell and Pat Lenck, all of whom are unavailable.

Under-19s from last year, Henry French, Max Caulfield, Rhys Endall and Joel Dredge will come into the starting eleven.

Ollie Burdon has taken over in goal after impressing in the pre-season work, while Adam Mills will skipper the side, which includes his younger brother, Ryan, 18, who was last year’s top scorer.

Another brother, 23-year-old Nathan Mills, is also in the side. He is a former State youth player who switched to AFL and played for the Mariners.

Nelson hope to include 14-year-old Troy Westbury in their squad, providing he is cleared to play by Football Federation Tasmania.

The 2pm game at North Chigwell pits Premier League opponents Glenorchy Knights and New Town Eagles against each other in a Group D match.

Knights will be without Corey Smith, who still has a 2-game suspension to serve, while Jade Clay and James Hope have cricket commitments.

Jason Dawes, signed from Metro, is injured and may need a knee reconstruction.

Callen Griffin also has a knee injury and will be absent.

The Knights squad is likely to be: Ben Peter, Will Roberts, Jacob Huigsloot, Alex Holmes, Lindsay Millington, Brendon Garth, Andrew Robb, Jackson Marsh, Matthew Nowicki, Matthew Russell, Tom Sherman, Brad Grainger, Trent Delaney, Peter Frank, Daniel Langdale.

Eagles are without seven players and will be hard-pressed to win.

Shane Kent, Alex Leszczynski, Michael Anderson, Nick Ferrall, Mark Page, Chris Wass and Alex Gordon are all unavailable due to holidays, work or injury.

“We will be very competitive and it will be great to see some of the young players stepping up,” said an optimistic Eagles coach, George Krambousanos.

The Group A clash between Beachside and Taroona at Olinda Grove No. 1 Ground at 2pm should be interesting. Beachside were promoted to Premier League at the end of last season and Taroona were relegated to Division One, so there is a lot to prove for both sides.

Beachside coach Brett Pullen said: “I will be able to field a strong side and will be closely looking at some of the new, young players over this Summer Cup period.

“The Cup will be a great opportunity for me to look at how I will blend our experienced players with the new youth available.

“It will also give me the opportunity to introduce our new signings.

“The regulars at training have included Michael Soszynski, Nathan Robinson, Ben Davis, Patrick Dunne and Jamie Pennicott, but Bernhard Klasen, Luke Atkin and Colin Shepherd will miss this pre-season series.

“That will give some of the new, young players the opportunity to prove themselves.

“I also congratulate FFT on the format for this year. The interchange, the flexibility between seniors and reserves, and the 90-minute games will make the cup a great pre-season competition.”

Olympia Warriors come up against Hobart United in a Group C encounter at Olinda Grove No. 2 Ground at noon.

Olympia’s morale will have improved after their 1-0 win over Ulverstone in the Steve Hudson Cup in Launceston last Sunday and they should just scamper over the line against Hobart United.

Kingborough Lions United should be much too strong for DOSA in their Group C match at Olinda Grove No. 2 Ground at 2pm.

Please fence me in

2011-02-10T10:55:00.003+11:00

Photos (Top to Bottom): The penalty area and goal at the opposite end to the highway; Portable goals enable shooting activities away from the highway end of the ground [PlessPix]

Olympia’s new ground seems complete and it will be interesting to watch the first competitive games played there.

The markings certainly look good, but I believe that a high fence needs to be constructed at the highway end to stop balls landing on the road and causing accidents.

Once this fence is constructed, the ground can be used for matches.

Olympia president George Mamacas said the fence would be constructed within the next two weeks.

Training has already commenced at the ground and, from the positioning of the goals shown in these photos, I think that players are only allowed to shoot towards the non-highway end of the ground.

Overnight results from overseas

2011-02-10T09:40:00.002+11:00

Football truly is the world game and it always delights me when there are international matches.

Looking at the list of results is a lesson in geography, religion, politics, economics, culture, music, language and many other things apart from just sport.

As a former teacher, it makes me want to take a class of young students again and use such international results to further their understanding of the above-mentioned subjects.

Why was the Egypt versus USA match postponed? Why did the Algeria versus Tunisia game not go ahead? In which continent are DR Congo and Gabon? What are the capital cities of all these nations?

Gee, it really does almost make one want to teach again.

While on this topic, a book you may want to look at is "The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup", edited by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey. It's published by Abacas.

It includes chapters by Geoff Dyer, Dave Eggers, Nick Hornby, Henning Mankell and Eric Schlosser.

Although it deals with the 2006 World Cup, it's a fascinating read.

Ask Ian Campbell, the former DOSA coach and manager of Dymock's in Centre Point, to get it for you.

Anyway, here are the overnight results. They make fascinating reading.

International Friendlies

Egypt v United States of America (postponed)

Libya 3-2 Benin

Tanzania 1-0 Palestine

Malaysia 2-0 Hong Kong

Armenia 1-2 Georgia

Mozambique 1-1 Botswana

DR Congo 0-2 Gabon

Moldova 2-1 Andorra

San Marino 0-1 Liechtenstein

Belarus 1-1 Kazakhstan

Greece 1-0 Canada

Bolivia 1-2 Latvia

Russia 0-1 Iran

Republic of Macedonia0 0-1 Cameroon

Croatia 4-2 Czech Republic

Azerbaijan 0-2 Hungary

Swaziland 0-4 Zambia

Israel 0-2 Serbia

Turkey 0-0 Korea Republic

Nigeria 2-1 Sierra Leone

Cyprus 1-1 Romania (Romania won on penalties)

Sweden 1-1 Ukraine (Ukraine won on penalties)

South Africa 2-0 Kenya

Albania 1-2 Slovenia

Bulgaria 2-2 Estonia

Denmark 1-2 England

Luxembourg 2-1 Slovakia

Algeria vTunisia (postponed)

Belgium 1-1 Finland

Holland 3-1 Austria

Malta 0-0 Switzerland

Norway 0-1 Poland

Germany 1-1 Italy

Scotland 3-0 Northern Ireland

Argentina 2-1 Portugal

France 1-0 Brazil

Morocco 3-0 Niger

Spain 1-0 Colombia

International Friendlies (Under-21)

Finland 4-1 Estonia

Cyprus 0-0 Ireland

Israel 0-1 Serbia

Slovenia 1-1 Croatia

Switzerland 1-1 Ukraine

Turkey 1-0 Romania

Greece 0-0 Germany

Holland 0-1 Czech Republic

Portugal 3-1 Sweden

Wales 2-0 Northern Ireland

International Club Friendlies

Zlin 3-0 Trencin

AC Horsens 1-2 FC Midtjylland

Dynamo Moscow 2-1 Rad Belgrade

CFR Cluj 3-2 Litex Lovech

Bochum 2-1 1. FC Cologne

FC Vestsjælland 2-3 OB Odense

Levski Sofia 2-1 Teplice

Hjorring IF 0-2 Aalborg BK

Honefoss 0-0 Asker

Wednesday night A-League results

2011-02-10T00:28:00.001+11:00

Sydney FC 2 (N Ward 55 og, B Gan 69) beat Wellington Phoenix 0

Att: 4,732

Ref: P Green

Gold Coast United 1 (S Smeltz 84) lost to Central Coast Mariners 3 (B Ibini-Isei 13, M Amini 40, M Duke 67)

Att: 2,037

Ref: S Delovski

North Queensland Fury 1-2 Brisbane Roar: Brisbane make it 24 games in a row without defeat

2011-02-08T23:45:00.001+11:00

North Queensland Fury 1-2 Brisbane Roar

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Minor A-League premiers Brisbane Roar beat bottom-side North Queensland Fury 2-1 tonight in a match switched to Gold Coast United’s Skilled Park stadium in Robina.

There were only about 2,000 people on hand to witness the Roar make it 24 games unbeaten.

Mitch Nichols opened the Roar’s account in the 14th minute with an excellent goal. Brisbane attacked down the left and, when Nichols was given the ball just outside the box, he fired at goal with the right foot. The effort was blocked by Mark Hughes, but when the ball came back to Nichols, he finished perfectly with his left foot.

Henrique replaced James Meyer at the interval and scored the Roar’s second in the 58th minute, lifting the ball over keeper Justin Pasfield from close range on the right after a good build-up and cross by Thomas Broich on the left and a flick-on by Kosta Barbarouses.

Andre Kilian pulled a goal back for the Fury in the 65th minute, his left-wing cross taking a deflection and looping over Michael Theoklitos and inside the far post.

__________________________________

North Queensland Fury: Pasfield - Hingert, Hughes, Studman, Kilian (Read 77) - Casey (Spagnuolo 68), Talay (Nikas 59), Storey, McDonald - Williams, Grossman (Sub not used: Usai)

Booked: Williams 70, Pasfield 76

Goals: Susak 65 og

Brisbane Roar: Theoklitos - Franjic, Susak, Smith, Stefanutto - Nichols, Paartalu, McKay - Barbarouses, Meyer (Henrique 46), Broich (Visconte 64) (Subs not used: Mundy, Redmayne)

Booked: Susak 31

Goals: Nichols 14, Henrique 58

Ref: J Gillett

This blog site to close soon

2011-02-08T17:07:00.001+11:00

This blog site will close over the next few days, to be replaced by an exciting new-look site.

Everything that has appeared on this site, including photos, will be contained in the archive section of the new site.

I’d just like to thank all the readers who have found it of interest. Readership has been steadily climbing and has been averaging over 1,000 hits a day, even though it is still pre-season.

Last season, the site was getting as many as 1,700 hits a day. I hope this number will be exceeded during the new season on the new site.

The ‘unique visitors’ number is now well over 5,000, which is heartening, especially given that it is pre-season.

I thank you all for your support.

When this site does close, my new site will open immediately. It will have a more professional look about it and include many new features, including polls and league tables.

By clicking on the old site, you will automatically be re-directed to the new site, so you don’t have to do anything.

As the new site establishes itself, I hope you will add it to your favourites.

Cheers for now, and look out for the change soon. In the meantime, continue to click on this site.

Kieran Biggar could be heading for bigger things

2011-02-08T11:36:00.008+11:00

Photos (Top to Bottom): Eleven-year-old Kieran Biggar is the target of foreign scouts; Kieran with his father, Neil Biggar, of Metro; Neil (back row, second from left) as Metro's senior keeper; Kieran's grandfather, Bobby Biggar (second from right, back row) in a Caledonians side of the late 1960s; Neil's uncle, John Biggar (second from left, back row) and Kieran's great grandfather, Jimmy Biggar (extreme left, back row) in a Caledonians side of about 1963; John Biggar pours the champagne as Caledonians celebrate a title in 1960.

Eleven-year-old local footballer Kieran Biggar has been targeted by scouts representing Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers and Real Zaragoza.

Biggar is a member of Metro’s under-13 team this year and plays as a sweeper. He comes from a family with a huge football background.

His father, Neil, was a goalkeeper with Metro, while his grandfather, Bobby Biggar, played as a sweeper with Caledonians and White Eagles.

Bobby’s brother, the late John Biggar, was a sweeper with Caledonians and also played in northern Tasmania with some distinction.

Kieran’s great grandfather was involved with Caledonians after arriving from Kilmarnock in Scotland in the 1950s.

“Kieran went away to Canberra in February representing Tasmania and playing Futsal and, while there, he was noticed by some scouts who are representing Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers and Real Zaragoza in Spain,” said Kieran’s father, Neil.

“They’re coming down to Tasmania in April to give him trials. He’s the only boy from Tassie picked up by them. There are a few boys from New South Wales coming, too, and my boy.

“He was playing Futsal when they spotted him, but they obviously picked up enough of what he can do and they want him for the outdoor game.

“He’s absolutely stoked so I’m going to have to do some road runs with him and get him fit and, hopefully, give him some idea of what he’s in for.

“He’s a sweeper, so he’s definitely skipped a generation. My father, Bob Biggar, was a sweeper, and I’m a goalkeeper and now my boy’s a sweeper.

“I’m lost for words. It’s pretty amazing, really, considering he went up there to play in a Futsal competition and now I’m talking to guys from London.”

Kieran played up a year for Metro’s under-12s last season.

“We played the whole team up a year because, basically, they were too good for the competition in that age group, so, again this year, they’ll be under-13s and, again, playing up a year for Metro,” said Neil.

“We’ll be starting pre-season soon on and it’s pretty much a full-on year for them as Futsal starts again when the outdoor season ends.

“It’ll be full on, which means a lot of travel.”

Kieran is a Liverpool supporter, as is his father, but he doesn’t mind that the trial is for other English and European clubs.

“I was playing Futsal in Canberra and the selectors came and asked me to go for trials in Devonport in April,” Kieran said.

“Dad’s a Liverpool supporter and so I’ve got lots of photos, pennants and so on from Liverpool in my room.”

Kieran’s grandfather, Bob Biggar, apart from playing for Caledonians and White Eagles, also represented Tasmania at under-16 level.

Tilford Zebras formally announce their 8 summer signings

2011-02-07T22:54:00.008+11:00

Photos (Top to Bottom): Craig Minty, the New Town Eagles keeper, has joined Zebras; Akuel Guot, noted Hobart United scorer; Sam McIntyre training with Zebras; Adam McIntyre in Clarence colours; Seth Otte has joined Zebras from South Hobart [PlessPix]

Tilford Zebras have formally announced eight new signings on the eve of the Summer Cup competition.

The club have signed three players from Clarence United - Sam McIntyre, Adam McIntyre and Luke Cripps.

Former South Hobart players Liam Scott and Seth Otte have also been signed.

Brett Andrews has joined the Zebras from Kingborough Lions United, while Craig Minty, the New Town Eagles keeper, has also been signed.

To complete the summer signings, Zebras have acquired striker Akuel Guot from First Division outfit Hobart United.

All eight players are expected to be available for selection for Saturday’s opening round of the Summer Cup.

Tilford Zebras begin their Summer Cup campaign on Saturday at Olinda Grove No. 1 ground at noon when they take on Taroona.

Perth Glory 1-2 Gold Coast United: Swansong for Perth stalwart Jamie Harnwell

2011-02-07T00:59:00.003+11:00

Perth Glory 1-2 Gold Coast United

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Gold Coast United beat Perth Glory 2-1 away at the Nib Stadium on Sunday evening to move to within a point of third-placed Adelaide United on the A-League ladder.

The loss means that Perth have not won in seven outings and it was their fourth loss in succession.

Jamie Harnwell was making his final appearance for Perth after 13 years at the club. The Perth stalwart marked his swansong by giving away a penalty and being booked.

The penalty came in the 31st minute when he brought down Golgol Mebrahtu. Shane Smeltz tucked away the spot-kick to put the visitors ahead.

Mebrahtu had to be carried from the pitch, having dislocated his shoulder as he went down under Harnwell’s challenge.

Ten minutes after the interval, Smeltz netted his second spot-kick after Josh Mitchell brought down Adama Traore.

Seventeen-year-old Adam Taggart pulled a goal back for Perth 16 minutes from the end when Harnwell nodded Mitchell’s long ball into the box down and into his path.

I guess that assist was at least a fitting end to Harnwell’s 255-game career.

Glory lost fullback Naum Sekulovski after an hour with ankle and knee injuries and he may not be fit for next week's match.

____________________________

Perth Glory: Velaphi - Risdon (Amphlett 60), Harnwell, Mitchell, Sekulovsi (Howarth 60) - Neville, Pellegrino, Burns, McGarry (Griffith 71) - Taggart, Fowler (Sub not used: Pearson)

Booked: Neville 21, Burns 24, Harnwell 31

Goals: Taggart 74

Gold Coast United: Moss - Pantelidis, Djulbic, Rees, Anderson - Caravella, Thwaite, Perchtold - Mebrahtu (Traore 33), Smeltz (Harold 91), Minniecon (Fitzsimmons 72) (Sub not used: Higgins)

Goals: Smeltz 33 pen, 55 pen

Att: 6,200

Ref: J Gillett

Newcastle Jets 1-1 Sydney FC: Sydney relinquish their crown

2011-02-07T00:20:00.002+11:00

Photo: Newcastle Jets could still take off with two games remaining [An F-14 Tomcat preparing for launch aboard the American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis (CVN-74) while at sea, photographed by PlessPix]

Newcastle Jets 1-1 Sydney FC

_______________________

Newcastle Jets drew 1-1 with Sydney FC on Sunday afternoon to keep alive their hopes of a place in the finals.

The draw at a wet and windy EnergyAustralia Stadium spelled curtains for reigning champions Sydney FC, who are now out of contention in regard to defending their crown.

Bruno Cazarine put Sydney ahead 14 minutes from the end. He was tightly marked in the left of the box by Sam Gallaway but held the defender at bay as he controlled a throw-in. Cazarine managed to turn and smash the ball inside the far corner of the net past a helpless Ben Kennedy in the Newcastle goal.

Six minute from the end, substitute Sasho Petrovski grabbed the equaliser. A free-kick from deep in defence by Jobe Wheelhouse found Nikolai Topr-Stanley on the right of the box and he nodded the ball towards the far post, where Petrovski forced the ball home, despite a lunging challenge from Cazarine.

Petrovski was fortunate not to be sent off as he kicked the sole of Cazarine’s boot after he scored and as the Sydney striker lay on the ground.

Newcastle are six points adrift of 6th-placed Wellington Phoenix with two games to play.

It was Sydney’s sixth game in a row without a loss, but they needed a win to stay in with a chance of defending their title.

_________________________

Newcastle Jets: Kennedy - Elrich, Gallaway, Topor-Stanley, D'Apuzzo - Wheelhouse, Simic - Jesic, Abbas (Virgili 67), Haliti (Pepper 84) - Brockie (Petrovski 67) (Sub not used: Nash)

Booked: Topor-Stanley 89, Elrich 91

Goals: Petrovski 84

Sydney FC: Necevski - Sung-Hwan, Keller, Jurman, Jamieson - McFlynn, Musialik, Carle (Ryall 84), Moriyasu (Cole 74) - Cazarine, Petratos (Makela 44) (Sub not used: Mitchell)

Booked: Makela 73

Goals: Cazarine 76

Att: 5,000

Ref: P Green

Two southern clubs start with wins in Steve Hudson Cup

2011-02-06T23:03:00.008+11:00

Photos (Top to Bottom): Launceston City's Steve Throupe (left) and Northern Rangers' Gabriel Tamms go for the ball; Launceston United coach Mark Egan watches Prospect Knights' Ben Crosswell in attack; Prospect Knights' Nathan Balym in possession against Launceston United: FFT CEO John Boulous (left) and Coaching and Development Manager Kurt Reynolds attended the opening round of Steve Hudson Cup matches today [Photos courtesy of Brendan Lichtendonk]

Steve Hudson Cup holders South Hobart made an auspicious start to the 2011 competition when they downed Riverside Olympic 4-0 at Harley Parade in a Group A match this afternoon.

The goals came from Tom Roach, Kostas Kanakaris, Jim Pennicott and Mizael Linhares Caires.

“For the first 15 or 20 minutes, it was nervy,” said South Hobart coach, Ken Morton.

“They really fought hard and put us under some pressure, but then we settled on the ball and chances started to come.

“We could have had two or three more in the first half and in the last 25 minutes of the half we had all the possession.

“In the second half, we dominated possession.

“Luke Huigsloot had a good debut. He played over an hour and we’re very happy with that.

“He played really well in midfield. He was nice and exciting and linked in well with Tom Roach.”

Olympia Warriors’ morale will be improved considerably after their 1-0 win in Group B over Ulverstone, the goal coming midway through the first half from Warren Wadawu.

In the other Group B match, Prospect Knights downed Launceston United 2-1.

Matthew Seesay cancelled out United’s opener, while Ben Crosswell, signed last week from Tilford Zebras, hit the winner in stoppage time.

“We started the game well and put them under pressure early and scored after twelve minutes - a deft touch inside the six-yard box to slot the ball home by Thors Niemly,” said Launceston United coach, Mark Egan.

“The game was well balanced and Knights pulled one back on the twenty-six minute mark, and at half time the score line reflected the contest at that stage of the game.

“The second half was a more scrappy affair. The quality football that was on show in the first half evaporated in the midday sun and the game evolved into a more physical encounter with a number of yellow cards being shown.

“As the second half wore on, the Knights mounted some serious pressure on our goal and we lost our shape, but we still managed to look dangerous on the counter.

“And then, Knights scored in ‘Fergie time’, in the 92nd minute. They found the back of the net and that was the winner.

“The lads worked very hard today. Our French import, Alex Rubel, in particular, worked very hard.

“For the last ten minutes, the lads put up a brick wall on the edge of our eighteen-yard box and, unfortunately for us, Knights found a way through.

“The lads are disappointed, but we need to learn from our mistakes, work hard to correct them, and prepare for Ulverstone next Saturday.”

Northern league champions Northern Rangers suffered a shock opening-round defeat, going down 1-0 to the unfancied Launceston City in a Group A match.

Sunday A-League results

2011-02-06T22:13:00.001+11:00

Photo: Newcastle Jets failed to launch against Sydney FC [Photo of flight deck of nuclear-powered American aircraft carrier USS John C Stennis at sea taken by PlessPix]

Newcastle Jets 1 (S Petrovski 84) drew with Sydney FC 1 (B Cazarine 76)

Att: 5,000

Ref: P Green

Perth Glory 1 (A Taggart 75) lost to Gold Coast United 2 (S Smeltz 33 pen, 56 pen)

Att: 6,200

Ref: M Gillett

Ben Crosswell scores winner on his debut for Prospect Knights in Steve Hudson Cup

2011-02-06T14:07:00.007+11:00

Photos (Top to Bottom): South Hobart's Kostas Kanakaris has a shot against Riverside Olympic; South Hobart's Shae Hickey controlled things in midfield [Photos courtesy of Brendan Lichtendonk]

Steve Hudson Cup Results

Group B

Prospect Knights 2-1 Launceston United

Olympia Warriors 1 (Wadawu) beat Ulverstone 0

Group A

Riverside Olympic 0-4 South Hobart (Roach, Kanakaris, Pennicott, Mizael Linhares Caires)

Northern Rangers 0-1 Launceston City

Under-18s

South Hobart Development Squad 4 (M Clarke 3, J Quigley) beat Northern Rangers 1

[Match summary of the day's round of matches to come later.]

Friendly

DOSA 6-5 Woodbridge (Aiden Jackson 2, Jack Turner, Bolan Peebles-Stringer, Dalles Hayes)

Trivia and photo quiz from yesterday's Metro versus Lions game

2011-02-06T12:48:00.015+11:00

Photos: Quiz photos are 1 to 10, running from top to bottom [PlessPix]

I thought I’d throw in a little quiz for readers of this blog based on yesterday’s pre-season friendly between Metro and Kingborough Lions United at North Chigwell.

The quiz is based on the above photographs taken at the match, so we’ll see how eagle-eyed readers can be.

Before the quiz, however, here are a few sidelights to the game.

The Lions won 4-0, of course, and looked in fine form, despite this being only their second practice match.

Coach Geoff Freeman was absent. He was returning that afternoon from interstate, so his coaching partner, Tim Dale, was in charge.

The Lions’ first-aid man Bernard Siggins was there. He was celebrating his 50th year with the club, if you include Caledonians, who merged with Kingborough a few years ago. Well done, Bernie! That really is a milestone for an individual.

David Abbott has joined the Lions from Taroona and his brother, Will Abbott, from the National Training Centre Tasmania, also played.

Will has been trialling with Brisbane Roar and will be go to the A-League club for another month in July.

It was good to see three officials, including referee Ian Colhoun, in charge of the game. Brad Hughes did a line in the first half, but a third official duly arrived in time for the second half. She had been told the match was at 2pm, whereas in fact, it kicked off at 1pm.

Kingborough won the reserves curtain-raiser 4-1. There were some first-teamers in the reserves, so things are looking good for the Lions in terms of the depth of their squad.

Well, put your specs on and have a look at the photos.

Photos 1, 2, 3 and 4: Kingborough have about six pairs of brothers playing for, or involved with, the club. Can you name four sets of brothers from these four photographs?

Photo 5: Spot two odd things in the respective teams’ strips.

Photo 6: Why could one say this is Marcus Bremner’s ball, despite the attentions of the Metro defender?

Photo 7: Who are the two players performing like seals with the ball while Ryan Bevan watches.

Photo 8: Was this photo taken during the course of the match or in the warm-up? How can you tell?

Photo 9: How many goalkeepers did Metro use in the match?

Photo 10: What’s unusual about the goalposts at North Chigwell? And, for those who regularly attend games at North Chigwell, what was missing from behind the goal at the western end of the ground, at about the spot this photo was taken from?

Adelaide United 0-1 Wellington Phoenix: Kiwis earn place in finals

2011-02-05T22:08:00.001+11:00

Adelaide United 0-1 Wellington Phoenix

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Wellington Phoenix celebrated their 100th A-League game with a 1-0 win away to third-placed Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium tonight.

The win ensured Wellington of a place in the finals series and it was the first time they had beaten United in Adelaide in six meetings.

Both sides had good scoring chances in the opening minutes and both suffered ill fortune when Adelaide’s Cassio and Wellington’s Lia had to limp off injured in the first half within minutes of each other.

The goal came in the 34th minute from an excellent diving header by Chris Greenacre from Marco Rojas’s precise right-wing cross.

Wellington keeper Danny Vukovic kept his side’s lead intact with a marvellous save from Paul Reid in a one-on-one situation a minute before the break.

Adelaide custodian Eugene Galekovic came to his side’s rescue in the 58th minute when he got down to turn Tim Brown’s powerful low shot wide for a corner.

Adelaide came close to equalising in the 67th minute when Travis Dodd broke down the right and fired through the legs of Vukovic. The ball appeared to be going wide of the far post when defender Jade North, in attempting to clear, chipped the ball against his own crossbar, after which it was cleared properly by a team-mate.

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Adelaide United: Galekovic - Watson, Boogaard, Reid, Cassio (Malik 31) - Usucar, Bodrusic (Hughes 46), Flores, Ramsay (Slory 62) - Dodd, Van Dijk (Sub not used: Birighitti)

Wellington Phoenix: Vukovic - Hearfield, North, Durante, Lochhead - Lia (Daniel 27), Brown, Ward, Rojas - Greenacre, MacAllister (Subs not used: Cornejo, Musa, Crowther)

Booked: Brown, Hearfield, Durante

Goals: Greenacre 34

Att: 10,000

Ref: M Breeze

Kingborough and South Hobart win pre-season friendlies

2011-02-05T17:48:00.003+11:00

Photos (Top to Bottom): Metro's Jayden Wiggins gets in a header ahead of Kingborough's Tom McDonald; Kingborough's Ryan Bevan tries to get a piece of the action against two Metro opponents; Metro keeper Nathan Grandin goes for a cross with Kingborough's Will Abbott; Tom McDonald nets Kingborough's second goal; Metro keeper Alex Dand clutches the ball as Kingborough's David Abbott tries to score; Will Abbott and David Cooper are beaten to a header by a Metro opponent; Kingborough's Damien Pearce fights Metro's Jeremy Morris for the ball as Trent Pearce watches; Metro's Aaron Marney on the run shadowed by Kingborough captain Marcello Marchioli; Kingborough's Will Abbott heads at goal [PlessPix]

Kingborough Lions United beat Metro 4-0 in a pre-season friendly at North Chigwell today.

Goals by Marcello Marchioli and Tom McDonald gave Kingborough a 2-0 lead at half-time.

Metro pressed for the first 20 minutes of the second half without scoring, although they did have a goal disallowed because of handball.

Kingborough regained their composure and goals by McDonald and David Abbott completed their tally.

Will Abbott played in defence for Kingborough. He will have another month’s trial with Brisbane Roar in July this year.

“I thought it was a good hit-out and I thank Metro for putting on a game for us and letting us use their ground,” said Kingborough coach, Tim Dale. “It’s not easy to get a ground.

“I thought we played well in the first half and knocked it about well and controlled the game well.

“In the second half, we got a bit tired and a bit sloppy with a few things.

“I made a fair few changes and changed things around a bit, which meant we lost a bit of cohesion.

“It’s the first time we’ve had a few of the boys here and it was probably only really our second practice game.

“It was a fair effort and I was quite pleased.”

Metro coach, Matthew Rhodes, acknowledged his side were well beaten.

“They outplayed us, Rhodes said. “They played very well and I was very impressed with them.

“They played some lovely soccer, two-touch soccer, and they were very impressive today.

“The first half they totally dominated. I think the first 20 minutes of the second half, we had a few chances and took it up to them, but they’re a class lot.

“I think Tim did a wonderful job with them. It was a good lesson for us.”

In another friendly, goals by Jonathon Lo and Dylan Postma gave South Hobart a 2-0 win over Beachside at Wellesley Park.