Tilford Zebras v Glenorchy Knights Match Report
By Walter Pless
Premier League,
Tilford Zebras 3 (Fagg 24, Lapolla 47, Cox 63)
GlenorchyKnights 1 (Huigsloot 2)
HT: 1-1 Att: 150 Ref: M Sprod
Tilford Zebras (3-5-2): F Mainella - H Fagg, R Smith, M Connolly - A Brazendale, M Falzon, B Pullen, C Cox (E Nicholson 86), R Self - R Frediani (J Thorpe 68), D Lapolla [Substitutes not used: D Cox, D Fennell] [Coach: N Lapolla]
Glenorchy Knights (3-5-2): B Peter - J Begovic, T Dzelalija (G Vasile 75), J Wiggins - J Fielding, J Ladic, C Smith (A Dermody 24), R Gosney, S Hickey - J Clay, T Huigsloot [Substitutes not used: N Harrison, L Conquest] [Joint-Coaches: T Huigsloot, R Huigsloot]
Premier League leaders Tilford Zebras confirmed their status as red-hot title favourites when they came back from a goal down to beat reigning champions Glenorchy Knights 3-1 at
Knights might have salvaged a 3-3 draw if everything had gone their way, but they were also lucky to survive on at least four occasions as Zebras created chances, only to squander them.
In the opening minute, a series of errors at the back by the Knights almost proved disastrous, but Zebras lacked that killer instinct.
Having been let off the hook, the Knights counter-attacked and scored arguably the goal of the night.
Jonathon Ladic gained possession just outside his own penalty area and played a long ball forward to Josh Fielding, who found Tom Huigsloot free in the inside-right position.
Huigsloot kept his head and chipped Frank Mainella beautifully to give the Knights the lead.
Zebras then applied tremendous pressure and only a brilliant reflex save by Ben Peter denied Ricky Self in the 17th minute.
Three minutes later, Daniel Lapolla’s chip took a deflection and came back off the Knights crossbar.
Knights then lost midfielder Corey Smith through injury. Smith first went down with a knee injury after a foul by Mark Falzon, but he resumed after a few minutes, only to be injured again shortly after when he threw himself recklessly into a foul tackle on Brett Pullen and conceded a fateful corner. This time the stretcher was called for and he was carried off.
His replacement was Adam Dermody, who had played almost a complete game in the Reserve League curtain-raiser. Dermody moved into the attack, while Jade Clay dropped back into midfield.
Zebras equalised from Aaron Brazendale’s corner as the Knights failed to clear and Henry Fagg poked the ball home through a crowded goalmouth.
On the half-hour, Dermody headed wide from Clay’s right-wing cross, while a minute later, Peter was again the hero as he saved from Fagg.
Zebras should have scored in the 36th minute when Lapolla drove a hard low cross from the right across the goalmouth to the far post, where Brazendale seemed to trip over his own legs instead of tapping home an easy chance. He got a second bite of the cherry, however, but Peter beat the ball out for a corner.
The first half ended with Mainella fumbling a hot shot from Ladic and then scrambling to knock the ball out for a fruitless corner, the Knights’ second of the match.
Two minutes after the break, Zebras went ahead 2-1 when Lapolla struck a thunderbolt from 25 metres that smashed against the crossbar and ricocheted into the net off the back of Peter.
In the 53rd minute, Knights squandered a marvellous chance to draw level when Huisgloot got on to the end of a corner, only to hit the ball high over the crossbar.
Four minutes later, it was Peter to the rescue once again as he pulled off a brilliant save from Brazendale.
Chris Cox made it 3-1 in the 63rd minute, nodding home a right-wing cross from Self.
Josh Fielding was unlucky for the Knights in the 87th minute when his deflected chip hit the angle of crossbar and post and rebounded into play.
Two minutes from the end, Lapolla volleyed Brazendale’s cross from the right harmlessly over the bar.
When Knights took off Jayden Wiggins seconds from the end, they did not have a substitute to replace him. That said it all.
Mark Falzon was probably the Zebras’ busiest player. He covered a huge amount of territory and helped out in defence as well as supporting the attack.
“We had a game plan and we stuck to it,” said Tilford Zebras coach, Nick Lapolla.
“I mean, in the first half it could have been four or five nil.
“We missed heaps of chances but we kept our composure.
“These blokes have got confidence left, right and centre. They’re a great bunch of guys and if they keep playing like this it’s going to be hard to stop us.
“Full credit to Knights. They came out to fight and it was great.”
Glenorchy Knights player-coach, Tom Huigsloot, said: “We didn’t take our chances again.
“I missed a sitter.
“We didn’t have a couple of good decisions go our way again.
“All in all, we struggled for fitness and a couple of players who should have been here weren’t here, and a few injuries didn’t help us either.
“The loss of Smith was vital. When you lose your central midfielder in the first 20 minutes it’s hard, and we didn’t have a fresh substitute on the bench and poor old Adam Dermody had to play nearly two full games. It was a bit hard for him.
“I mean, we battled hard, but we just didn’t have the legs at the end of the day to compete.”
|
TILFORD ZEBRAS |
|
GLENORCHY KNIGHTS |
|
13 |
Goal Attempts |
11 |
|
9 |
Shots on Target |
7 |
|
8 |
Corners |
6 |
|
18 |
Fouls Committed |
7 |
|
3 |
Off-Sides |
3 |
|
2 (Cox 32, Self 60) |
Yellow Cards |
1 (Dzelalija 57) |
|
0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
Tilford Zebras:
|
PLAYER |
GOAL ATTEMPTS |
SHOTS ON TARGET |
|
Self |
2 |
1 |
|
Lapolla |
3 |
2 |
|
Fagg |
2 |
2 |
|
Brazendale |
4 |
3 |
|
Cox |
1 |
1 |
|
Thorpe |
1 |
0 |
Glenorchy Knights:
|
PLAYER |
GOAL ATTEMPTS |
SHOTS ON TARGET |
|
Huigsloot |
3 |
1 |
|
Dermody |
2 |
1 |
|
Fielding |
3 |
3 |
|
Ladic |
1 |
1 |
|
Gosney |
1 |
1 |
|
Begovic |
1 |
0 |