Walter Pless on Football

From 25 February 2007

South Hobart jumped to first place in Group B of the Division One section of the Summer Cup competition by virtue of a comfortable 4-1 win over Hobart United at Wellesley Park on Sunday.

The teams were level at 1-1 at the interval, but South raced away to victory in the second half.

Former Premier League star Bernhard Klasen netted twice for South Hobart, while Tom Veness and Hugh Jarvis also got on the scoresheet.

Jacob Taban-Kuel was Hobart United’s marksman.

In the absence of an official referee, Tony Kavanagh, the Beachside joint-coach, handled the match.

This is unfair for players who pay big money for registration fees and who therefore have the right to expect official referees. It is something Football Federation Tasmania must look at - and quickly. This is, after all, the second-tier competition and promotion and relegation are involved in the league competition at this level.

There were reports of unrest amongst the Hobart United players after the match and an official referee may - I repeat, may - have defused the situation.

This is not to belittle Kavanagh’s contribution in any way. I have known Tony for many years. He is a qualified referee and he would have been impartial. Congratulations to Tony for doing what he did and enabling the game to go ahead, but he shouldn’t have had to do it.

Christian United were held to a 2-2 draw by Kingston Cannons in the other Group B match on Sunday.

Christian United won the resultant penalty shoot-out 5-4.

Christian’s Tim Wierenga, with a penalty, and Robert Drysdale netted in regulation time, as did Steve Guidici and John White for the Cannons.

In the shoot-out, Wierenga, Peter Otto, Oliver Walters, David Noble and Angus Livingston were on target for Christian United, while Ismet Ayden, Guidici, White and veteran Neil Thomas were successful for the Cannons.

Nelson Eastern Suburbs are top of Group A after overcoming DOSA-Northern Suburbs 2-1 through goals by Aaron Isles and Scott Rogers. Evergreen Derek Story replied for DOSA.

The disappointing aspect about this game was that DOSA had only 11 players and no substitutes at all.

This is hardly encouraging for a team that is hoping to do well under new coach Stephen Pitchford.

Who said Sydney FC were the only team without an adequate number of substitutes?

Kingborough Lions United are second in Group A after they downed Beachside 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out. The match had ended in a 2-2 draw in the regulation 60 minutes.

Tim Dale and Isaac Manuella netted during the 60 minutes for Kingborough, while Nick Gibson and Brian Walker did likewise for Beachside.

In the penalty shoot-out, Dale, Stuart Morse, Peter Wiley and Alex Beaumont hit the target for Kingborough, while Jacob Kavanagh, Tom Sherman and Jamie Walker responded for Beachside.

This game was also without an official referee and South Hobart president John Barker had to take the whistle. Once again, well done, John. But, he should not have had to do it.

What a way to start the Division One Summer Cup! The first two games of the day without official referees.

It must not be allowed to happen next week.

With this sort of thing occurring, how can we expect the print media to take the game seriously?

South Hobart were 3-0 up at half-time and eased off in the second period of this opening Group B clash in the Premier League section of the Summer Cup competition at KGV Park.

South hit the front midway through the opening half of this one-hour match when Metro keeper Troy Kaden was unable to hold David Abbott’s fierce long-range shot and Daniel Brown swooped to slam home the loose ball.

Brown might have had a second only a minute later when Tom Roach put him through, but his effort flew wide.

In the 16th minute, David Cooper, who had replaced the injured Adam Hedge moments earlier, made it 2-0 when he latched on to Jon Foley-Donoghue’s long ball out of defence and beat Kaden.

Metro were well and truly on the back foot and Cooper and Roach both went close before South netted their third from a penalty.

In the 23rd minute, Scott Bagorski cynically brought down Matthew Hill and Hugh Ludford easily beat Kaden with his spot-kick to make it 3-0.

Metro’s only real chance came two minutes after the resumption when Jarrod Saunders broke clear down the inside-left channel. The youngster had his knee heavily bandaged after missing most of last season and had injured it again last week in the northern pre-season Steve Hudson competition. It showed as he struggled to outpace the South defenders and his shot lacked power and drifted wide.

Six minutes later, Brown netted his second goal of the match to complete the scoring.

Cooper was carried off in the closing minutes after sustaining an ankle injury and being denied a penalty in the process.

Hedge, who suffered a recurrence of a groin strain and was replaced by Cooper early in the match, complained about the team being denied a decent warm-up period before the match.

South Hobart: Moncur, Sattler, Ludford, Beecroft, Lo, Brown, Roach, Hill, A Hedge, Foley-Donoghue, Abbott.

Interchange: Kruijver, Cooper, J Gasparinatos.

Goals: Brown 13, 38, Cooper 16, Ludford 23 pen.

Metro-Claremont: Kaden, Gasparin, Curran, Herring, S Kent, McKeown, Saunders, Hope, Bagorski, Dutton, Lipscombe.

Interchange: Dawes, Marney, Lawler, Cooke.

Referee: S Collins

Attendance: 200

Clarence United were disappointing in their opening match in Group A of the Premier League section of the Summer Cup competition at KGV Park.

They were up against it from the start against a Hobart Olympic side that was fast, aggressive and determined.

Clarence’s blushes were fortuitously hidden for almost 20 minutes when the floodlights failed early in the opening half. The technical failure was caused when local thunderstorms led to a power failure in the Glenorchy area.

Once the game resumed, Olympic hit the lead when a short free-kick found Paul Cairns, who beat Michael Moschogianis from the edge of the box.

Clarence almost grabbed an equaliser late in the opening half when substitute Jacob Huigsloot smashed a shot against the underside of the bar, but the ball bounced down and back into play.

Ben Backhaus extended Olympic’s lead three minutes after the break, outwitting Toby Ling on the right of the box before cutting inside to score.

With three minutes remaining, Hermanathan Nagarthnam slammed home Olympic’s third.

Hobart Olympic: Nester, P Tsakiris, Vavoulas, Mohamad, Lebski, Mason, C Tsakiris, Backhaus, Nagarathnam, Bulis, Cairns.

Interchange: Arnold, Lesa, Venettacci, Southam.

Goals: Cairns 8, Backhaus 33, Nagarathnam 57

Clarence United: Moschogianis, Cannamela, Ling, Mayne, Bremner, Walsh, McMahon, Hunt, Emmanueli, Parker, Stevens.

Interchange: Chapman, Wraight, Huigsloot, Evans.

Referee: K Barker

Attendance: 200

New Town Eagles caused a shock by winning their opening Group A match in the Premier League section of the Summer Cup at South Hobart.

Kingborough Lions, who had finished second in the league for the second successive season, were hot favourites.

The Lions dominated play and it was only resolute defending by Eagles and poor finishing by the Lions that kept Eagles in the hunt, especially in the first half.

Eagles lost goalkeeper Andrew Savage after only five minutes. He damaged an Achilles tendon after taking a goal-kick.

Substitute striker Steven Bukowiecki came on in goal and acquitted himself well. He can take a lot of the credit for his side’s win because of great anticipation and some good saves.

Mark Iseli should have put Kingborough ahead in the 3rd minute when he was put clear into the box, but he poked his shot wide from close range.

Eagles were put under tremendous pressure after Savage had been replaced, but they held out and, amazingly, took the lead in the 20th minute when Nathan Brown’s pressure led to an own-goal by Kingborough.

Three minutes later, Warren Iles sent over a perfect cross from the left, but Chris Sanita’s header, while under pressure from Adam Shackcloth, lacked power and the ball was cleared as it bounced in the goalmouth.

In the 25th minute, Marcello Marchioli delivered a cross from deep on the left which was missed by Sanita and the ball carried wide of the far post.

Marchioli tried his luck two minutes later with a first-time chip, but the ball just cleared the angle of crossbar and post.

Bukowiecki then saved at the foot of the near post from Marchioli and Eagles went in at the break 1-0 ahead.

Brown sealed the win 11 minutes after the resumption, while George Nelson and Ben Whitehall also went close for Eagles before the end as the Lions became increasingly frustrated.

Eagles defender Brian Zielkinski was fortunate to receive only a yellow card for his cynical foul on Charles White.

New Town Eagles: Savage, Zielinski, Clark, Collins, Leszczynski, Shackcloth, Whitehall, Wass, S Telega, A Telega, N Brown.

Interchange: Bukowiecki, Nelson, Menzie.

Goals: Own-goal 20, Brown 41

Kingborough Lions United: Betts, Marchioli, J Brown, Cannon, Wells, Griffiths, Iseli, Damm, White, Iles, Sanita.

Interchange: Palmer, Andrews.

Referee: D Gadd

Attendance: 100

University, the holders of the Premier League section of the Summer Cup competition, made a terrible start when they lost their opening Group B match 2-1 to Tilford Zebras at South Hobart.

Aaron Brazendale put the Zebras in front in the 22nd minute when he raced down the right and finished with a powerful shot that gave Damian Robinson no chance at his near post.

In the 24th minute, Mark Falzon and Jayden Welch prised open the University defence on the left and Welch’s low cross into the goalmouth was deflected into the net by a defender under pressure from Brazendale.

Julian Proud missed a great chance for University three minutes after the resumption as the Students finally took the game to their opponents.

A minute later, Alexis Bull headed just over the bar from Colin Shepherd’s cross from the right.

University’s task became harder in the 46th minute when Proud was sent off after lashing out at Michael Connolly with his leg.

In the 50th minute, Robinson did well to turn substitute Eoin Nicholson’s powerful drive from long range over the bar.

Three minutes later, University pulled a goal back when Iain Fletcher’s long ball out of defence surprised both Bull and Zebras goalkeeper Frank Mainella. Bull woke up first and flicked the ball past Mainella from just outside the box to make for a tense finish with only a goal separating the sides.

Zebras managed to hold on and give new coach Nick Lapolla his first win.

Tilford Zebras: Mainella, Connolly, Cox, Smith, Fagg, Brazendale, Falzon, R Self, Thorpe, Welch, D Lapolla.

Interchange: Nicholson, Viney.

Goals: Brazendale 22, own-goal 24

Booked: Lapolla

University: Robinson, Andrews, Fletcher, Teale, Maddock, Bull, Gretton, O’Brien, Shepherd, Proud, Hindmarsh.

Interchange: Shaw, Quinn.

Goals: Bull 53

Sent-off: Proud

Referee: C Phillips

Att: 100