Devonport take gamble and win

Photo: Knights goalkeeper Alex Woodham about to be crunched by Devonport's Henry Andrews. [PlessPix] 

Devonport Strikers, the runaway NPL Tasmania leaders, gambled on Saturday and won.

With one eye on Wednesday’s huge Australia Cup tie against A-League side Wellington Phoenix, Devonport coach Tom Ballantyne decided to rest key players.

They had leading striker Roberto Fernandez Garrido and ace attacker Brody Denehey on the bench for the NPL Tasmania game against second-placed Glenorchy Knights and still won 1-0.

Aaron Kidmas, Dominic Smith and Connor Parke, all regulars in the senior team, also started on the substitutes’ bench.

Photo:  Devonport captain Kieran Mulraney (yellow short) and Knights skipper Eli Luttmer contest the toss before the game.  Knights wore black armbands in memory of former star striker Lincoln Conquest, who passed away that week in Queensland aged just 45.  Several long-time Knights supporters in the crowd were shocked that a minute's silence in memory of Conquest was not observed.  The referees at all games this weekend should also have observed a minute's silence in memory of Danny D'Abate and John Reece, two leading referees from the 1970s and 80s.  It's sad to see the lack of knowledge about past contributors to the game in Tasmania.  'Respect' is a word bandied about a lot these days and is demanded by almost everyone.  What happened to respect for these three servants of the game? [PlessPix]  

The win came in the 70^th minute from Nick Lanau-Atkinson, who curled a low free-kick with his left foot around the outside of the Knights defensive wall from the edge of the box on the left and inside the left-hand post.

Knights goalkeeper Alex Woodham, preferred yet again to Reef Murfet, yelled at his defenders to adjust the wall as Lanau-Atkinson shaped up to take the free, but it was to no avail as the ball flew into the net.

Photo:  Knights' Jack Bowman tackles Devonport's Fahim Moradi. [PlessPix]  

Knights were unlucky not to get a point.  In stoppage time at the end of the game, a free-kick by Hugh Undy struck the inside of the left-hand post and the ball rebounded across the face of goal and was cleared.

The win put Devonport 12 points ahead of Knights, who dropped a place to third.

Kingborough Lions United moved up to second, 11 points adrift of Devonport, by winning 1-0 against bottom-side Riverside Olympia away at Windsor Park.

The winner came in the 59^th minute through Alfred Hess, who took advantage of a poor headed clearance to volley home.  The goal came after a period of sustained Kingborough pressure.

Riverside had their chances, especially one that fell to Thomas Milner.

Photo:  Anthony Mamic wins a penalty for Olympia. [PlessPix]  

Clarence Zebras easily accounted for Olympia Warriors at Wentworth Park 5-0.

The home side had a spring to their step.  It’s not often they face such easy opponents.

The Olympia defence was woeful and Clarence Zebras took full advantage.

Sam Tooze opened the scoring in the 13^th minute when he received a cross-field pass from Riley Dillon and outfoxed the goalkeeper before stroking the ball home.

Dillon made it 2-0 on the half-hour when he gained possession beyond the far right-hand post and the goalkeeper could not hold his powerful shot from an impossible angle before it just crossed the line.

Dillon and Tooze were terrorising the Warriors defence with their speed and positioning.

Photo:  Olympia's Alex Holmes challenges Clarence Zebras goalkeeper Darby Randall to a cross. [PlessPix]  

Both sides earned penalties before the break, but Olympia’s Jake Vandermey slammed his spot-kick against the bar, while at he other end, goalkeeper Mitch Stalker beat out Dillon’s penalty.

In the 57^thminute, Tooze made it 3-0 from Dillon’s cutback, while in the 70^thminute, a through-ball by Josh Mathie released Matt Pave through the middle and he scored easily as the defenders vanished into thin air.

At the very end of the game, substitute Lachie Burt was untroubled in firing home from inside the box, again with no defenders in close proximity.

In the remaining game, South Hobart downed Launceston City 201 away at Buckby Motors Park in Launceston to keep the northerners at bay on the standings.

The sides meet again at South Hobart Oval next Saturday in a postponed game from earlier in the season.  It will be the only NPL game scheduled that weekend.

Photo:  Knights keeper Alex Woodham punches clear. [PlessPix]  

NPL Tasmania

Glenorchy Knights 0-1 Devonport Strikers (N Lanau-Atkinson 71)

Riverside Olympic 0-1 Kingborough Lions United (A Hess 59)

Clarence Zebras 5 (R Dillon 13, S Tooze 30, 57, M Pace 70, L Burt 90) beat Olympia Warriors 0

Launceston City 1-2 South Hobart

Photo:  Olympia's Simon Vivarelli is unable to stop Clarence Zebras captain Ryan Cook from putting his team into attack. [PlessPix]  

Men’s Southern Championship NPL Tasmania Standings (As at 30 July 2022)

TEAM	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Devonport Strikers	16	14	1	1	53	10	43
Kingborough Lions	16	10	2	4	42	26	32
Glenorchy Knights	16	10	1	5	35	15	31
South Hobart	15	9	3	3	42	12	30
Launceston City	15	8	1	6	29	27	25
Clarence Zebras	16	4	2	10	28	37	14
Olympia Warriors	16	2	0	14	17	58	6
Riverside Olympic	16	0	2	14	7	69	2

Photo:  Devonport's Joel Stone about to cause trouble for the Knights' defence. [PlessPix]  

Share :