Photos (Top to Bottom): Zebras' Ryan Smith and Henry Fagg head clear; Trent Le Rossignol; Zebras' defensive set-up; Knights doing stretching exercises before the match; Knights defending; Anthony Grundy (left) confronts Zebras' Kurt Engels; A near miss for Knights: Zebras' Henry Fagg heads clear; Knights' Amadu Koroma goes on a run; Knights' Mynonge Kamba closes in on Dwayne Walsh
Tilford Zebras 1-1 Glenorchy Knights
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Glenorchy Knights had the first chance of this match - the last league match of the season for both sides - as early as the 4th minute when Bianchi Dos Santos released Amadu Koroma down the left.
Koroma might have had a shot himself but chose instead to pass across the face of goal to Mynonge Kamba, but he fired wide.
Tilford Zebras hit back immediately and they took the lead in the 7th minute when Jayden Welch gained possession wide on the left of the box and rolled the ball home.
Knights goalkeeper Alex Tatnell had started the match with an elbow bandaged heavily and he injured it in the opening minutes and had to be replaced by the club’s under-19s keeper, Trent Le Rossignol, in the 9th minute.
Luke Engels had a great chance on the right for Zebras in the 17th minute, but he blazed wide when he should have worked Le Rossignol.
Three minutes later, Welch shot wide from the left as Zebras began to squander some good openings provided by an over-worked Knights defence.
Knights hit back in the 24th minute when Andrew Robb was presented with a chance, but he directed his shot straight at keeper Troy Kaden.
Paul Cairns must have been annoyed with himself when he left Knights off the hook in stoppage time at the end of the first half as he volleyed over the bar from close range, the ball taking a slight deflection and going out for a corner.
Ten minutes into the second half, Le Rossignol dived to his left and punched out a cross, but the ball fell to Josh Thorpe, who might have scored but instead volleyed over the bar.
Three minutes later, a poor header by substitute Lindsay Millington allowed Cairns in, but he blazed over the bar when a goal seemed imminent.
Zebras were applying tremendous pressure at this stage and Ryan Smith was the next to miss when, on the hour, he volleyed over from close range after a corner.
Knights fashioned a chance in the 63rd minute, but Kaden did well to deny Jade Clay.
Zebras were caught by a sucker punch in the 70th minute after Koroma was fouled wide on the left and Mr Barker first allowed play to continue but then awarded a free-kick.
Clay floated the free-kick towards the back post and there was the unmarked James Hope to head home the equaliser.
Knights survived a late scare when Andrew Telega’s free-kick in the 82nd minute was not cleared and the ball fell to substitute Matt Hall, but he powered a close-range shot wide.
Engels also fired narrowly wide in the 87th minute as Zebras had to settle for a draw after dominating for long periods and having by far the most chances.
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· Tilford Zebras coach, Nick Lapolla, said:
“It was a Saturday afternoon game and the last game of the season.
“There was not much to play for. There was only pride in there.
“Both sides had their chances. I suppose we had more chances in the second half to finish it off.
“One bit of slack marking at the back gave them a goal.
“But, it’s hard to get them motivated when there’s nothing to play for.
“We’ll just concentrate on the top-four now.”
· Glenorchy Knights coach, Eamonn Kelly, said:
“I thought we had nothing else better to do on a Saturday afternoon and so we came here.
“That’s what it looked like, for both sides.
“I was just talking to Nick there, and there’s just no interest.
“It’s all over and done and dusted.
“I just can’t see, personally, what the final-four series is going to achieve.
“I think it’s going to be the same, Everyone has played 21 games and, you know, we’re just about at the end of our tether, and plus the cup games.
“Every club has got injuries. Yeah, sure, we’ve had a pretty hectic schedule, but so have they.
“Yeah, I think everybody is just about over it.
“It wasn’t a bad game of football, really. I mean, we weren’t in it the first half.
“Second half, we did well. Young Trent Le Rossignol came on, the goalkeeper, you know, thrown in at the deep end, and he accredited himself well and he did a good job and he did what we wanted him to do.”
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Tilford Zebras: Kaden - Fagg, Telega, Smith, Pace - K Egels, Cairns, Self, Welch (Hall 80) - Thorpe, Walsh (Substitutes not used: Connolly, Fotak)
Booked: Fagg 62, Cairns 76
Goals: Welch 7
Glenorchy Knights: Tatnell (Le Rossignol 9) - Green (Millington 56), Grundy, Holmes - Robb, Fielding, Kamba, Dos Santos (Sherman 64), Clay - Hope, Koroma (Substitute not used: Roberts)
Booked: Kamba 87
Goals: Hope 70
Att: 100 (KGV Park)
Ref: K Barker
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