(NPL Tasmania, KGV Park, Saturday, 8 June 2019)
Glenorchy Knights 0
Launceston City 1 (M Hancox 45)
HT:
0-1 Att: 120 Ref: S Plomaritis
Glenorchy Knights: Nester;
Toghill, Harrison, Young, Bellini, Gutierrez-Chavez, D Brown, Nowicki,
Leszczynski, Naden, Heggie (Subs: James, Backhouse, Hardwick, Hart, Stuart)
Launceston City: Clark;
Cartwright, Degetto, Dyer, Hancox, Linger, Mattarozzi, Mies, Millington,
Mitreski, Sullivan (Subs: Oh, Ottavi)
Photo: Knights' Mathew Nowicki tackles City's Shane Cartwright. Nowicki clipped Cartwright's heels, but both players being tough men, continued on without any recriminations. [PlessPix]
Lachlan Clark had an outstanding game in
goal for visitors Launceston City as they beat Glenorchy Knights 1-0 at KGV
Park today in what was overall a disappointing NPL Tasmania match.
Clark did very well to deny Mathew
Nowicki in the opening half, while the aggressive Nowicki was unlucky when he
fired against the crossbar.
The killer blow came in the final minute
of the first half when Noah Mies fed MacKenzie Hancox and he slotted the ball home
from the left to send City in at the break leading 1-0.
Both defences had been on top and the
forwards for both teams were rarely able to conjure up decent chances, although
City’s Isaac Degetto did have the ball in the net, only to see the off-side
flag raised.
Photo: Launceston City's Jarrod Linger tries to kick the ball over his head [PlessPix]
Clark again did well in the second half,
denying Nick Naden when he had been out through by Alex Bellini.
Near the end, Clark dropped a cross onto
the head of Alex Leszczynski but recovered to keep City’s lead intact.
Seconds later, his expert positioning
enabled him to prevent Naden from netting an equaliser.
How Knights could have used Callum Brown,
who was unavailable because of an university exam.
Photo: Knights' Mathew Nowicki has City's Aaron Mattarozzi in his sights [PlessPix]
City only brought two substitutes with
them and they must have been a little worried when Aaron Mattarozzi went down
early in the second half with what appeared to be a serious arm injury. Surprisingly, he recovered quickly and was
able to resume.
Both teams were guilty of squandering possession
and neither was able to string together a succession of passes. Some of the clearances were simply wild
kicking to anywhere, while the shooting was often woeful.
Fifth-placed Knights and sixth-ranked City
stay in those positions, but Knights must be a little worried as City and
Kingborough Lions United, who beat Riverside Olympic 1-0 away today at Windsor
Park, edge ever closer.
Photo: As Aaron Mattarozzi lies injured, City team-mate Jarrod Linger appears to be advising referee Stratos Plomaritis what should happen to Mathew Nowicki [PlessPix]
3 comments:
The Knights player who flung the city player to the ground whilst their arms were locked
should have been sent off. If that had happened to a Knights player they would still be screaming
about it now. Intentional deliberate behind play and outright dirty.
I think the Knights bubble just got burst. Believed their own hype about having a team to get into the top four, not on that performance I'm afraid. Outplayed, out muscled and out coached. Whilst the back four where reasonably solid their normal ability to play out from the back into midfield was negated by the dominant Launceston midfield. Quite frankly the knights midfield where too soft, not enough effort in challenges and virtually no effort to challenge for balls in the air. The Launceston unit where very dominant in the first half. Chances where few and far between, yes the Knights where unlucky when Nowicki bounced one of the cross bar but in reality Launceston was the deserved winner on the day. The Knights attack was disjointed, Launceston big centre back dominated anything in the air, but the Knights seemed incapable of going wide, beating the full backs and getting the ball low into the box. Had a good team on paper but I believe the worst performance of the year to date.
I was very happy when we arrived in Hobart to see Knights weren’t playing there goalie that denied us our win at Home last game.
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