Photo: Connor Schmidt lies motionless as team-mates surround him [PlessPix] [Click on photos to see full-size image.]
South
Hobart defender Connor Schmidt suffered a broken leg tonight as his side went
down 4-3 to Hobart Zebras in a pre-season friendly.
Schmidt was
on the wrong end of a tackle by Zebras defender Luke Bighin, who received a
yellow card for the challenge.
Schmidt was
stretchered off and taken to hospital by ambulance. X-rays revealed he had sustained a broken
leg.
Photo: Schmidt is stretchered off the pitch by South Hobart and Zebras personnel [PlessPix]
South
Hobart scored from the resultant free-kick.
Adam Gorrie floated the ball towards the far post and Alex Walter netted
to give South Hobart a 2-0 lead in the 34th minute.
Skipper
Nick Morton had given South Hobart the lead after 19 minutes.
A minute
before the interval, Bighin volleyed home from inside the box to make it 2-1
and put Zebras back into the game.
Photo: Nick Morton puts South Hobart ahead [PlessPix]
Jordan
Muller equalised for Zebras shortly after the resumption, while an excellent
goal in the 53rd minute by Mathew Sanders, following a precise and
speedy attack down the right involving Dwayne Walsh and Matthew Pace, put
Zebras ahead 3-2.
Photo: Luke Bighin (partially obscured at left) scores for Zebras [PlessPix]
In the 57th
minute, Pace’s run down the right and perfect cutback enabled Lachie Burt to
make it 4-2 for Zebras.
South
Hobart pulled a goal back in the 72nd minute from Gorrie’s penalty,
awarded for Henry Fagg’s foul on Morton, but Zebras clung to their lead to win
4-3.
Photo: Zebras keeper Sam Whatman saves at the feet of South Hobart's Alex Walter [PlessPix]
“I think it
was a good hit-out for both teams,” said South Hobart coach, Ken Morton.
“It was a
good test for us. We played 20 players
tonight and most of them have got a good bit of game time.
“I’m happy
where we are at this stage. I thought in
the first half we dominated the game quite convincingly and then, when we made
a few changes, they were a bit stronger and sharper at the start of the second
half.
“I think
overall it was a good hit-out for us. We
had good possession at times but just missed a few chances which maybe would
have made it a bit closer.”
Photo: Zebras' Mathew Sanders (No.17) and South Hobart's Nick Morton come to grips [PlessPix]
Photo: The situation became quite tense and South's Ben Hamlett and Zebras' Dwayne Walsh become involved [PlessPix]
Hobart
Zebras coach, David Smith, said it had been a good workout for his team.
“The South
Hobart boys were much better early on than us again, but we changed shape and
went to a 4-4-2 and I think that helped a lot.
“We had a
good chat at half-time about maybe putting a lot more pressure on them rather than
sitting back.
Photo: Zebras' Luke Bighin (left) clears as South Hobart's Bradley Lakoseljac rushes in [PlessPix]
“I thought
when we changed it, Matty Sanders and Matty Pace worked together quite well,
and I was really pleased with a couple of youngsters who came on. Young Jones and Chase [Clarke] did well for
us.
“To be
fair, [Henry] Fagg and Luke [Bighin] did also.
“I’m pretty
happy with it. Twenty-three players got
a run and we’ve had two games in five days.”
Photo: Former South Hobart player Antonio Saracino, who is now with Sydney FC's academy, watches tonight's game with a friend [PlessPix]
2 comments:
Was Gabriel Markaj at the match, Walter? I recall seeing one of his Tweets and a picture of the Zebras' coach sitting on an eski.
Not that I could see, Brian.
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