Friday, March 31, 2023

Launceston City should be primed for visit to Valley Road

Photo:  Launceston City skipper Joel Stone will be returning to his old hunting ground of Valley Road on Saturday and hoping to come away with some scalps. [PlessPix] 

Launceston City will travel to Valley Road on Saturday full of confidence to take on Devonport Strikers at 4.30pm in Round 3 of the NPL Tasmania competition.

City are top of the standings, 2 points ahead of their hosts.

And, City’s coaches, Daniel Syson and Nathan Pitchford, as well as midfielder Joel Stone, are all ex-Devonport players and know the set-up at Valley Road intimately.

They will know how Devonport will be preparing for this game and they will have worked out suitable tactics  -- physical and psychological  -  to combat the reigning champions.

It should be a close game and an exciting one and one that either side has the potential to win.

Third-ranked South Hobart should be too strong for cellar-dwellers Launceston United away at Birch Avenue at 3.45pm.

United have scored only once in three outings while conceding eight times and this does not augur well for their chances.

South have not caught the eye so far this season, but they should be too strong for the home side.

With Bradley Lakoseljac playing as a deep-lying centre-forward and building up play, Nick Morton, Sam Berezansky and Iskander Van Doorne should be able to roam widely and snap up the chances that are likely to come their way.

Lakoseljac, too, has that scoring touch and he will probably prove too hot to handle.

Firth-ranked Glenorchy Knights should have Daniel Schmidt and Jack Turner available for the trip to Windsor Park to take on second-last Riverside Olympic at 2.30pm.

“We are hoping to bounce back and play well,” said Knights coach, James Sherman.

“It’s important we look to improve every week.

“I’d like to see us play with more organisation without the ball and show more energy when pressing from midfield.”

On Sunday, fourth-placed Kingborough Lions United travel across the River Derwent to Wentworth Park in Bellerive to take on sixth-ranked Clarence Zebras at 2.30pm.

Both teams have more potential than their league position may indicate and this should be a tense and close encounter.

Clarence Zebras will hope that their central defender, import Pritchard Adjei, will have recovered from the injury which saw him play only about 50 minutes last Sunday in the 2-2 draw with South Hobart.

The Lions have lost one of their goalkeepers, James Ross, who has decided to leave and possibly return to Olympia, but he was not first-choice and they have cover.

Roan Gillam is likely to start in goal and he will be keen to avoid the sort of error that enabled South Hobart to score against him a couple of weeks ago and win 2-1.

Lions striker Noah Mies is a suitable match in terms of physique for Adjei, if the latter plays, and the sparks should fly when these two bounce off each other.

NPL Tasmania (As at 26 March 2023)

TEAM

P

W

D

L

F

A

Pts

Launceston City

2

2

0

0

3

0

6

Devonport Strikers

2

1

1

0

7

2

4

South Hobart

2

1

1

0

4

3

4

Kingborough Lions

2

1

0

1

6

3

3

Glenorchy Knights

2

1

0

1

2

1

3

Clarence Zebras

2

0

2

0

3

3

2

Riverside Olympic

2

0

0

2

1

7

0

Launceston United

2

0

0

2

1

8

0

 

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Launceston City only team with perfect record after two NPL rounds


Photo:  South Hobart's Lachlan Semmler (right) pressures Clarence Zebras' Jonathan Fewkes. [PlessPix] 

Launceston City heads the NPL Tasmania standings after two rounds.

They have scored 3 goals and have yet to concede a goal.

On Saturday, they downed Glenorchy Knights 1-0 with a goal in the 2nd minute of stoppage time at the end of the game.

Knights were on top for the first 20 minutes but were predictable and lacking in penetration.

I lost count of the number of square passes the Knights played at the back.  Centre-backs Eli Luttmer and Tyler Harrison seemed to endlessly play square balls to each other.

Photo:  Eduardo Castenada (left) tangles with Launceston City skipper Joel Stone. [PlessPix] 

City appeared to have a weakness at left back and I don’t know why Knights did not exploit this with a fast winger to beat the fullback and send over dangerous crosses.

Having said that, the left back was probably City’s most dangerous attacker in the opening half.  He was prepared to push forward and sent in at least one absolute scorcher that just flew wide of the left-hand post.

City got on top after that opening 20 minutes, but also had to survive a scare or two in the second half as Lucas Dzelakowski fired wide with his weaker right foot and planted a header against the crossbar.

Joel Stone, who was playing his 150th NPL game, was always prominent for City and creating openings from midfield.

Photo:  Launceston City's Mac Wilcox on the attack with Knights' Nick Mearns racing to cover. [PlessPix] 

With the game petering out to a goalless draw. City launched an attack down the right in stoppage time and Stefan Tantari crossed low across the box.  The Knights rear-guard proved incapable of cutting the ball out and it carried to beyond the far post, where Jack Woodland cracked his shot home.

It was very similar to last season, when City also beat Knights 1-0 with a goal in the 4th-minute of stoppage time.

Devonport Strikers, the reigning champions, stumbled on the opening day of the season by drawing 1-1 at home with Clarence Zebras.

On Saturday, they beat newcomers Launceston United 6-1 at Valley Road and sit second on the standings.

Photo:  Joel Stone and Eduardo Castaneda takes a tumble. [PlessPix] 

Roberto Garrido collected a brace by scoring on either side of a goal by Brody Denehey.

Miles Barnard made a long-awaited return to action and netted in his first game in a year, while Eli Wilson and Luke Bennett completed the Strikers’ tally.

Brazilian Walter Sidney Martins Da Silva Filho netted Launceston United’s consolation goal.

Kingborough Lions United hit form and trounced Riverside Olympic 5-1 away at Windsor Park on Saturday.

Kobe Kemp started the ball rolling in the 18th minute and the visitors led 1-0 at the interval.

Photo:  South Hobart's Bradley Lakoseljac runs into a brick wall. [PlessPix] 

Kemp made it 2-0 shortly after the resumption, while Declan Taylor added the third 20 minutes from the end.

Liam Poulson pulled a goal back for the home side in the 74th minute before Keenan Douce and Noah Mies completed the rout for the southerners.

On Sunday, Clarence Zebras almost toppled South Hobart at South Hobart Oval, but what appeared to be the winning goal was mysteriously disallowed by the referee in the closing stages.

Photo:  South Hobart's Bradley Lakoseljac on the attack. [PlessPix] 

Clarence Zebras Argentinian import Xuan Cappellino scrambled the ball over the line in the 5th minute to give his side the lead, but Iskander Van Doorne equalised on the quarter-hour.

Lachlan Semmler put South Hobart ahead 4 minutes before half-time.

Clarence Zebras lost their English import, Pritchard Adjei, through injury within minutes of the resumption.

Sam Tooze popped up with 5 minutes remaining to equalise, but his celebrations a few minutes later for what seemed the winner were curtailed by the referee’s decision to cancel out the goal.

Photo:  Jayden Hey and Matthew Pace knock each other out. [PlessPix] 

 NPL Tasmania (As at 26 March 2023)

TEAM

P

W

D

L

F

A

Pts

Launceston City

2

2

0

0

3

0

6

Devonport Strikers

2

1

1

0

7

2

4

South Hobart

2

1

1

0

4

3

4

Kingborough Lions

2

1

0

1

6

3

3

Glenorchy Knights

2

1

0

1

2

1

3

Clarence Zebras

2

0

2

0

3

3

2

Riverside Olympic

2

0

0

2

1

7

0

Launceston United

2

0

0

2

1

8

0

Photo:  South Hobart's Jaden Fidra in a battle with Clarence Zebras' Michael Monticchio. [PlessPix]

Photo:  Jayden Hey (left) tries to get past Clarence Zebras' Joshua Burgess. [PlessPix]  

Photo:  Clarence Zebras' Ben Tilley (left) contests possession with South Hobart captain Nick Morton. [PlessPix]

Photo:  South Hobart assistant coach Bernhard Klasen watches South Hobart's Iskander Van Doorne (right) on the attack against Clarence Zebras' Jonathan Fewkes. [PlessPix]

Photo:  Clarence Zebras keeper Josh Jones punches clear. [PlessPix]

Photo:  Bradley Lakoseljac (left) takes on Joshua Burgess. [PlessPix]

Photo:  Ryan Cook (left) gets past Tobias Herweynen. [PlessPix]