Devonport City had a well-earned rest this weekend after winning the 2019 NPL Tasmania title in midweek with a 6-2 home win over second-last Riverside Olympic at Valley Road.
Miles Barnard hit a hat-trick for Devonport to
draw level with Hobart Zebras striker Mathew Sanders on 27 league goals for the
season.
A deft left-footed curling shot in the 5th
minute by Joel Stone settled any early nerves Devonport may have and gave the
home side the lead.
Max Fitzgerald made it 2-0 midway through the
first half, while Barnard struck twice in 5 minutes after excellent service
from Eddie Bidwell to give Devonport a commanding 4-0 lead.
Nil Sanz and Luca Vigilante pulled goals back
for the visitors early in the second half to make a game of it again, but
Fitzgerald scored in the 63rd minute and Barnard completed his
hat-trick with a penalty in the 79th minute to ensure the North-West
Coast side of back-to-back titles.
Devonport were presented with the winners’
medals and the trophy after the game by Football Tasmania CEO Matt Bulkeley.
They now wait to find out their opponent from
Northern New South Wales in the NPL finals series.
Photo: Kingborough's Chris Downes (left) moves in on Olympia's Jordan Scott [PlessPix]
Fifth-placed Glenorchy Knights beat a team
above them in the standings for the first time this season when they toppled fourth-ranked
Hobart Zebras 2-1 at Grove Road on Saturday.
Left-back Jade Clay, who had played an entire
Challenge League game the previous evening, headed the Knights into the lead in
the 27th minute after Zebras failed to clear a corner.
Dwayne Walsh equalised 3 minutes after the
resumption, but Nick Naden grabbed the Knights’ winner in the 51st
minute.
Zebras looked well beaten by this stage and
Knights struck the woodwork twice through Aaron Marney and Alex Bellini before the
end, while they also has a strong penalty appeal turned down.
Zebras had a couple of further chances, but
Knights goalkeeper Lachlan Hart saved superbly to keep his side in front and
earn all 3 points.
Knights’ coach James Sherman came on as a substitute
in the final couple of minutes, possibly to settled his side down and ensure
they kept their lead.
Photo: Zebras' Jordan Muller wins a header in a packed goalmouth [PlessPix]
A hat-trick by Noah Mies and a goal by
American import Martin Mitreski gave Launceston City a 4-1 away win over
bottom-side Clarence United at Wentworth Park on Saturday.
Jackson Ebini netted Clarence’s consolation
goal, which was only their 8th goal in 23 games this season. They have one game remaining to reach double
figures, but they already conceded a three-figure tally.
Second-placed Olympia Warriors easily
accounted for the visiting Kingborough Lions United 3-0 at home at Warrior Park
on Saturday evening.
Only a splendid display of goalkeeping by
Kingborough’s Kenneth Perkinson prevented the Warriors from completely
over-running the visitors.
Jack Ryan made the most of an excellent pass
from Nick Mearns to put Olympia ahead after 34 minutes.
Ryan turned provider in the 41st
minute when his cross was turned home acrobatically by American import Bay
Kurtz to make it 2-0 at half-time.
Jake Thompson added the third in stoppage time
at the end of the game when he prodded the loose ball home after Perkinson had
failed to hold Jake Vandermey’s left-wing cross.
Photo: Riverside's Chris Wademan (right) tries to find a way past South Hobart's Adam Gorrie [PlessPix]
On Sunday, South Hobart overcame a stubborn
Riverside Olympic 3-0 at South Hobart Oval.
The win was nothing to crow about as South
Hobart should have more than doubled their tally. Some of their free-kicks were very
disappointing, as were some of their close-range goal attempts.
They hit the woodwork twice, missed some
close-range ‘sitters’, and were also denied by stout defending and excellent
goalkeeping by Jarrod Hill.
After a goalless opening half, Ewan Larby put
South Hobart ahead in the 64th minute, while an own-goal by Tom
Prince, who turned Adam Gorrie’s right-wing cross into his own net in the 79th
minute made it 2-0.
Nick Morton added the third in the final
minute.
NPL Tasmania (As
at 25 August 2019)
TEAM
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
F
|
A
|
Pts
|
Devonport City
|
22
|
19
|
2
|
1
|
83
|
21
|
59
|
Olympia
Warriors
|
22
|
16
|
2
|
4
|
71
|
27
|
50
|
South Hobart
|
21
|
13
|
4
|
4
|
76
|
27
|
43
|
Hobart Zebras
|
22
|
10
|
6
|
6
|
64
|
43
|
36
|
Glenorchy
Knights
|
22
|
9
|
2
|
11
|
54
|
41
|
29
|
Kingborough
Lions
|
22
|
8
|
2
|
12
|
39
|
47
|
26
|
Launceston City
|
22
|
7
|
4
|
11
|
35
|
42
|
25
|
Riverside
Olympic
|
22
|
4
|
2
|
16
|
22
|
62
|
14
|
Clarence United
|
23
|
1
|
0
|
22
|
8
|
152
|
3
|
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