(NPL Tasmania, Lightwood Park, Saturday, 27 April 2019)
Kingborough Lions United 3 (P Kantzos 20, H Gutierrez Jr 71,
91)
Clarence United 0
HT:
1-0 Att: 100 Ref: L Hargrave
Kingborough Lions United:
Perkinson - Douce, Smithies-Sharples, Cuthbertson,
Sammut -
Easton, Downe (Gutierrez Jr 61)s, Steele
- Brennan, Cowen (Hall 80),
Kantzos (Subs not used: Muir, Schuth, Zammit)
Clarence United:
Dyson - Lange, Demar, Reibel, Ebini -
Hatcher, Burt, Price - Moynihan
(Kannegiesser 60), Amani (Marsh 80), Randall (Voss 46) (Subs not used: Downham, Semelbauer)
Photo: Kingborough's Chris Downes wins a header [PlessPix]
A little
bit of history was made in this match.
It was the first NPL game featuring three female match officials.
Referee
Lauren Hargrave is living and working in Canberra at present and during a visit
home to Tasmania, she was appointed to take charge of this game. Her assistants were Claire Green and Emma
Hall.
Kingborough
should have at least doubled their score and Clarence were let off rather
lightly.
Apart from
the three goals, the Lions hit the woodwork four times.
Conditions
were difficult, with strong winds throughout the game. Clarence kicked with the wind in the first
half but were unable to gain any advantage.
Their only chance came when midfielder Jeremy Price sent an effort just
over the bar.
Photo: Kingborough's Keenan Douce, who had a fine game, races for the ball [PlessPix]
Kingborough
took the lead in the 20th minute when a cross-field build-up from
right to left ended with Phil Kantzos shooting low and hard past Matthew Dyson.
A minute
later, Danny Cowen hit the post when he connected with Keenan Douce’s corner
from the left.
Cowen was
unlucky again in the 35th minute when his shot again came back off the
post.
Three
minutes before the interval, left-back Joel Sammut ventured forward and ended
up smacking a post with a firm shot.
Clarence
must have welcomed the half-time interval as they may well have been punch
drunk and windblown by that time.
Photo: Clarence's Ryan Amani all alone up front [PlessPix]
Photo: Clarence's Ryan Amani ploughing a lone furrow in attack [PlessPix]
The second
half was even worse for the visitors.
They were playing into the strong wind and Ryan Amani was often left
alone and isolated as centre-forward.
Sam Randall had been taken off.
He had made little impact on the left wing throughout the first half as
play seemed concentrated on the other flank.
Photo: Clarence's Ryan Amani is beaten by Kingborough's Nick Cuthbertson [PlessPix]
In the 62nd
minute, Kingborough continued their exercise of ‘who can hit the woodwork
rather than score’ when Jake Brennan rattled the crossbar.
The
introduction of American import Horacio Gutierrez Jr on the hour bore fruit 10
minutes later. He had missed the past
few games through injury, but in the 71st minute he turned sharply
and planted a shot into the net from the edge of the box to make it 2-0 for the
Lions.
Clarence
had their second chance of the game shortly after when only an instinctive and excellent
save at close range by Kingorough’s American import goalkeeper, Kenneth
Perkinson, denied Clarence substitute Chris Kannegiesser. Clarence have only scored once this season
and had Kannegiesser scored, it would have been their first goal from open
play.
In stoppage
time, Gutierrez Jr netted his second goal of the game and Kingborough's
third. He was obviously keen to make up
for lost time after being sidelined by injury for several weeks.
Photo: At the risk of labouring the point, here is Ryan Amani isolated up front again [PlessPix]
Photo: Kingborough's Danny Cowen heads over the bar [PlessPix]
Photo: Kingborough's Jake Brennan (left) and Clarence's Jackson Ebini [PlessPix]
Photo (L-R): Claire Green, Lauren Hargrave and Emma Hall before the game [PlessPix]
