Third-placed South Hobart may have dropped out of the NPL Tasmania title race after suffering a 2-0 defeat away to Glenorchy Knights at KGV Park on Saturday.
The loss leaves Ken Morton’s boys and men 5 points adrift of second placed Knights and 9 points behind reigning champions and current leaders Devonport Strikers with 7 games remaining.
Two first-half goals by Knights did the damage.
Nick Mearns headed home Connor Schmidt’s cross from the right in the 16th minute to give Knights the lead, while Nick Naden added the second midway through the first half with an accurate shot inside the far post from the edge of the box.
The Knights had another effort - a header by Austin Yost - disallowed because of off-side.
South Hobart managed to contain the Knights in the second half, but they never looked like clawing back the deficit and Knights goalkeeper Lachlan Hart had one of his easiest games.
The visitors lacked ideas in attack and tip-toed around the peripheries without ever really threatening the heart of the Knights defence.
The stage is now set for the meeting between Knights and Devonport at Valley Road in two weeks’ time. The Knights lost there 4-0 a couple of weeks ago and they will have to win this next encounter if they are to have a chance of pipping Devonport for the title.
Devonport have found their goal-scoring touch and have discarded their habit of narrow 1-0 wins.
Last Tuesday night, they demolished bottom-side Riverside Olympic 8-0 away in Launceston, while on Saturday they accounted for visitors and second-last placed Olympia Warriors 3-0 at Valley Road.
It wasn’t all one-way traffic against the southerners and Devonport only made the game safe with two goals in the last 10 minutes.
Brody Denehey had given them a 5th minute lead and it took until the 80th minute for Denehy to complete his brace and make it 2-0.
A goal in the final minute by New Zealand import Jordan Lamb made for a respectable 3-0 final score-line.
Fourth-placed Kingborough Lions United increased their chances of a top-four finish, whatever that is worth, by drawing 2-2 away with third-last Clarence Zebras at Wentworth Park with goals from Adam McKeown and Jack Turner.
Clarence Zebras replied with a goal from Sam Hills and an own-goal.
On Friday night at Launceston’s Buckby Motors Park, home-side Launceston City beat Riverside Olympic 3-2 with a last-minute penalty from Gediminas Krusa, who had been brought down inside the box.
Aaron Campbell had given Riverside a shock lead after 5 minutes before Will Compagne equalised late in the half to make it 1-1 at the interval.
Daniel Smith put the home side ahead just past the hour-mark, only to see William Humphrey restore parity with a penalty in the 78th minute.
A draw seemed inevitable until a rash challenge in the final minute gave City a penalty and Krusa made sure of the 3 points with the spot-kick, which was the last move of the match.
NPL Tasmania results:
Launceston City 3 (W Compagne 37, D Smith 61, G Krusa 90 pen) beat Riverside Olympic 2 (A Campbell 5, W Humphrey 78 pen)
Devonport Strikers 3 (B Denehey 5, 80, J Lamb 90) beat Olympia Warriors 0
Clarence Zebras 2 (S Hills, own goal) drew with Kingborough Lions United 2 (A McKeown, J Turner)
Glenorchy Knights 2 (N Mearns 16, N Naden 23) beat South Hobart 0
NPL Tasmania (As at 24 July 2021)
|
TEAM |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
Devonport City |
15 |
12 |
1 |
2 |
40 |
10 |
37 |
|
Glenorchy Knights |
14 |
10 |
3 |
1 |
45 |
16 |
33 |
|
South Hobart |
14 |
8 |
4 |
2 |
34 |
16 |
28 |
|
Kingborough Lions |
15 |
6 |
3 |
6 |
27 |
30 |
21 |
|
Launceston City |
14 |
5 |
1 |
8 |
19 |
33 |
16 |
|
Clarence Zebras |
14 |
4 |
2 |
8 |
25 |
35 |
14 |
|
Olympia Warriors |
14 |
3 |
2 |
9 |
20 |
36 |
11 |
|
Riverside Olympic |
14 |
0 |
2 |
12 |
19 |
54 |
2 |
Photo: Referee Stratos Plomaritis shows the yellow card to Knights' Jack Bowman for his foul tackles on South Hobart's Kasper Hallam (left). [PlessPix]
6 comments:
so much for the ffa developement programs over the past decade.possesion 'dont go long thats not the way to play':how posh is that comment:cannot beat egypt.no premier league players-no kewell no cahill and so on.a league top coaches go to second rate countries in the second divsion and get sacked popvic muscat.nobody wants to watch a league -boring.bring on the port
agree.the success port have had proves you dont have to have well to do parents who can afford to send kids to expensive acadamies and send kids away with state under age teams .sport should be free and accessible to all soc/economic groups.you can be a working class lad from anywhere and have success .a plumber builder painter teacher barber joiner.
Beware of people who want to make many out of sport at junior level
7.55, I'm glad you agree with yourself. Like its not obvious!
Anon 7.55 . It appears you have written the first comment and then agreed with it in the second comment, judging by the way they are both written.
Anyway , sport has never been free.
I remember state teams in the 70's had to fund raise in order to help kids get to National Championships. The parents would then pay the short fall. It was never free and never will be.
It wasn't easy for the parents either but they did what they could. Not whine and moan about everything.
Cost in sport is not new and if you don't want to contribute there is no obligation to do so.
Too many these days believe they are entitled to whatever they would like.
Life is not like that, unfortunately .
The imports they've had may contradict that statement always from $$$
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