Photo: Olympia's Nick Mearns in possession as Devonport's Eddie Bidwell moves in [PlessPix]
Devonport
City are almost certain to retain their NPL Tasmania title after beating
Olympia Warriors 2-1 away at Warrior Park last Saturday.
Devonport
now lead second-placed Glenorchy Knights by 6 points after the Knights were
held to a 1-1 draw at home at KGV Park by South Hobart.
There are three games remaining and Devonport would
have to lose two of those and Knights win all three of their games for the
Knights to have any chance of usurping the crown.
It just isn’t going to happen.
Photo: Brody Denehey brings down Olympia's Loic Feral [PlessPix]
While the rest of the field have a change of
fortunes virtually week by week, Devonport are consistent performers and continue
to win games.
They aren’t setting the world on fire with their
performances, but any win is worth 3 points.
On Saturday, Devonport fell behind to an early goal
by Callum Brown, who fired home from the right after a cross by former
Devonport player Adam Gorrie, who had been released down the right by Nick
Mearns.
Devonport equalised just 4 minutes later because of
atrocious Olympia defending and a stroke of luck for Devonport. Lucas Hill and goalkeeper Darby Randall both
left the ball for the other and Brody Denehey poked the ball towards goal. By the time Randall recovered his ground, he
could only snatch the ball away after it had already crossed the line. Untidy, but a goal nevertheless.
Photo: Olympia's new president, George Verrios, at Saturday's game [PlessPix]
Callum Brown was mighty unlucky when he crashed a
shot against the Devonport crossbar.
Devonport introduced Harry Crocker just past the
hour mark and he grabbed their winner in the 66th minute, heading
home powerfully at the far right-hand post when Joel Stone picked him out with
a perfectly floated free-kick.
Devonport brought on Miles Barnard near the end and
he almost scored with his first touch, but as has so often been the case this
season, 2-1 was enough for the champions to triumph.
Photo: Devonport's Joel Stone with Olympia's Loic Feral hot on his heels. It was Stone's excellent free-kick which provided Harry Crocker with the winner. [PlessPix]
Knights and South Hobart slugged it out in a
goalless and boring first-half at KGV Park and it wasn’t until the 77th
minute that South took a shock lead.
Substitute Sam Berezansky’s corner from the right
was cleared back to him, and when he pumped the ball back in, Kobe Kemp headed
past Lachlan Hart to give the visitors the lead.
Two minutes later, a long pass from defence by Tyler
Harrison put Jack Bowman away down the right and his perfect centre was met by
Alex Walter, who headed powerfully past Mark Moncur to make it 1-1.
Photo: A dinosaur supporting the Knights races around the pitch like a WWII Sherman tank, but the assistant referee seems oblivious to the danger as he concentrates on the game [PlessPix]
Photo: Knights' Connor Schmidt produces one of his trademark bread-and-butter tackles to eliminate the threat posed by South Hobart's Kasper Hallam [PlessPix]
Photo: No, it's not a game of Rugby. Alex Walter, with the ball under his arm, races back for the kick-off after he had equalised. [PlessPix]
That’s how it stayed and the Knights knew they’d
blown it. They’d dropped 2 points rather
than gained one.
Launceston City gained their first league win when
they downed Riverside Olympic 3-1 in a bottom-of-the-table clash at Windsor
Park.
The result kept Launceston City in last placed, but
they are now just a point adrift of second-last Riverside.
Sam Ridgard and Noah Mies gave City a 2-0 lead at
the interval, but Nils Sanz pulled a goal back with a penalty midway through
the second half.
Ridgard completed his brace when he hit City’s
winner 8 minutes from the end.
City had goalkeeper Lachlan Clark sent off in
stoppage time.
Photo: Clarence Zebras' Luke Huigsloot (left) slices the ball away from Kingborough's Phil Kantzos [PlessPix]
Kingborough Lions United moved into third place when
they handed out a 5-2 hiding to Clarence Zebras at Lightwood Park.
Jack Martin netted twice and Danny Cowen once to
give Kingborough a 3-0 lead by the 19th minute,
Ryan Cook’s free-kick that went in off the base of
the far left-hand post in the 29th minute made it 3-1 at the break.
It could have been closer, but Jayden Hey had a
penalty saved by Kingborough keeper Jake Hayers.
Photo: Luke Huigsloot and Adam McKeown were once team-mates. Here they are on opposing sides vying for a header. [PlessPix]
A brilliant and clever free-kick by Keenan Douce a
minute after the resumption gave the home side a 4-1 lead.
When Luke Huigsloot lobbed the keeper in the 67th
minute, it seemed as if it could be game on, but Clarence Zebras were unable to
score again.
Joel Sammut struck Kingborough’s fifth in stoppage
time to give the Lions a comfortable 5-2 win.
Photo: Kingborough's Kenneth Trac is in possession but he is a very isolated figure and surrounded by Clarence Zebras opponents [PlessPix]
NPL Tasmania Round 11 results:
Olympia
Warriors 1 (C Brown 9) lost to Devonport City 2 (B Denehey 13. H Crocker 66)
Riverside
Olympic 1 (N Sanz 68 pen) lost to Launceston City 3 (S Ridgard 18, 82, N Mies
24)
Glenorchy
Knights 1 (A Walter 79) drew with South Hobart 1 (K Kemp 77)
Kingborough
Lions United 5 (J Martin 11. 15, D Cowen 19, K Douce 46, J Sammut 91) beat
Clarence Zebras 2 (R Cook 29, L Huigsloot 67)
Photo: Olympia's Callum Brown heads at goal against Devonport [PlessPix]
NPL Tasmania Standings (As at 3 October 2020)
TEAM
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
F
|
A
|
Pts
|
Devonport
City
|
11
|
10
|
1
|
0
|
21
|
7
|
31
|
Glenorchy
Knights
|
11
|
8
|
1
|
2
|
30
|
9
|
25
|
Kingborough
Lions
|
11
|
5
|
3
|
3
|
21
|
26
|
18
|
Olympia
Warriors
|
11
|
5
|
1
|
5
|
26
|
21
|
16
|
South
Hobart
|
11
|
5
|
1
|
5
|
21
|
21
|
16
|
Clarence
Zebras
|
11
|
3
|
2
|
6
|
17
|
25
|
11
|
Riverside
Olympic
|
11
|
1
|
2
|
8
|
13
|
28
|
5
|
Launceston
City
|
11
|
1
|
1
|
9
|
13
|
25
|
4
|
6 comments:
I think young Berezansky has been stiff starting on the bench instead of Andy. He has been more of a threat and Andy came off Wednesday night in the laka cup and looked injured and only last 20 minutes against Knights.
It's not going to happen, Walter.... but if Devonport lost their next two and Knights won their next two, wouldn't a draw be enough for the Knights on goal difference in the last round against Port?
It would, indeed, but it isn't going to happen.
Look the league has being poorly promoted apart from yourself Walter and is going thru the motion's very much like FFT .
Surely at these times we find ourselves in Ft would be promoting the Southern Champ as the closeness of the competition just to give something. Even if it's to pat themselves on the back. There needs to be publicity about the next 5-6 weeks.
The way clubs were in limbo before late Monday was an embarrassment as nobody really knew what was happening how would it effect clubs points etc.
I really do wonder how these people at Grove Rd can keep their job.
Oh for the days of Boulos/kalis, were dreamteam in terms of admin. management. Aint goin to happen of course. be nice if clubs at least lobbied for a new broom as comp. manager.
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