Taroona are no strangers to cup football action

The draw for the Lakoseljac Cup semi-finals is (home team first):

Taroona v Devonport Strikers

Launceston City v Glenorchy Knights

At first glance, this seems to foreshadow a Devonport v Knights final.

Taroona appear to have little hope against Devonport.

The sides have met in State-wide Cups twice in the past.

On 15 May 1977, Devonport walloped Taroona 8-0, while on 14 May 1983, Devonport were triumphant 6-1.

Those results occurred a long time ago and a lot of water had passed under the bridge since then.

Football is unpredictable and anything can happen in cup football.

Taroona have upset more illustrious rivals in cup competitions in the past and they have achieved giant-killing feats.

In 1988 they beat George Town 4-1 and Caledonians 3-2.

In 2007, they beat Olympia 1-0 and most recently, in 2012, they again beat Olympia, this time by a 5-3 score-line.

This semi-final against Devonport will be Taroona’s fifth semi-final appearance.

In 1988, they lost 7-0 to Hobart Juventus, while in 2011 they were beaten 4-0 by South Hobart.

New Town Eagles beat Taroona 5-1 in 2012, and in 2013, Taroona lost 6-3 to Hobart Zebras.

Given this history, Kelvedon Park should be packed at the end of the month when Taroona host Devonport.

On paper, Glenorchy Knights should be too good for Launceston City in the other semi-final.

This cup has a special place in the heart of the Glenorchy Knights club, but sentiment isn’t always enough to win matches.

Launceston City are no slouches when it comes to cup football and games are not won on paper but on the field.

It all adds up to two intriguing Lakoseljac Cup semi-finals.

By the way, I am indebted to statistician Keith Roberts for the above information.  That man is a mine of information and he usually has everything at his fingertips.  He is a huge asset to football in Tasmania.  Thanks, Keith.

The Women’s State-wide Cup semi-finals are:

Olympia Warriors v Clarence Zebras

Kingborough Lions United v Launceston United

The Men’s Under-20 State-wide Cup semi-finals are:

South Hobart v Olympia Warriors

Ulverstone v Launceston City