Walter Pless on Football

By Walter Pless

Metro-Claremont have appointed Ahmad Abdaltam as their new Premier League coach for the 2008 season.

Abdaltam, who is from Sudan, played professionally in Greece and Egypt.

He has played in Tasmania with Hobart Olympic, Juventus and Glenorchy Knights and has coached the Knights and Juventus.

Metro finished last season as the wooden-spooners and survived a promotion-relegation play-off over two legs against Division One champions Beachside to retain their Premier League status.

Abdaltam replaces Matthew Gasparin, who has been in charge of Metro for the past two seasons.

Abdaltam said he would try and bring several experienced players to the club to form the nucleus of next year’s side.

Meanwhile, Premier League outfit University have appointed Scott Gallacher from NSW as their new senior coach for next season to replace Matthew Shaw, who is moving interstate.

Gary Slicer will be the reserve-team coach, while Les Richardson will coach the under-19s and the Premier Women’s team.

“I have been involved with soccer for the past forty years or more as a player and then as a coach,” said Gallacher, who is from Scotland.

“I first started coaching about twenty years ago and gained my licence as a senior coach ten years ago.

“In the past ten years, the first eight were spent coaching with Hills United Soccer Club, which is a representative club in the NSW State Super League.

“In this capacity I coached all age groups and during this time I took one year out to coach Castle Hill Premier League.

“I moved to Tasmania a year ago and have been involved with the Glenorchy Knights club and coached The Friends’ School first team.”

By Walter Pless

_____________________________________________________________________

Hobart Zebras won the State premiership by beating northern Premier League title winners and reigning State champions Somerset 3-1 away at the latter’s Cardigan Street headquarters on Saturday.

After a goalless opening half, substitute Mark Falzon, who had replaced midfielder Chris Cox at the interval, put Zebras ahead on the hour when he raced on to Romeo Frediani’s through-ball and beat the advancing goalkeeper, James Nettleton.

Midfielder Romeo Frediani made it 2-0 in the 70^th minute with an easy tap-in after Brett Pullen’s free-kick had been flicked on by Ryan Smith.

Bobby Eaves pulled a goal back for the home side with 15 minutes remaining when the ball was lofted over the Zebras defence and he fired past a hesitant Frank Mainella in the Zebras goal.

Five minutes from the end, Aaron Brazendale netted after a neat one-two with Ricky Self to make it 3-1 and complete the southerners’ triumph.

Brazendale was cautioned when he clashed with an opponent and they wrestled each other to the ground.

It was the third trophy for the Zebras this season, following their Summer Cup and southern Premier League titles.

Rookie coach, Nick Lapolla, who was one of the club’s stars back in the 1980s, was delighted with the win before a large and noisy home crowd and with three North-West Coast officials in charge.

Somerset coach, Craig Macey, said it was a good-quality game, but he was critical of the refereeing and said the two referee assistants had trouble keeping up with play.

_____________________________________________________________________

· Tilford Zebras coach, Nick Lapolla, said:

“The first half was a fiery contest and it took us half the game to wake up to their style of play.

“In the second half, we matched them and got on top.

“It’s been a good year for us and the boys are rapt.”

· Somerset Sharks coach, Craig Macey, said:

“It was a much better game than last year, with both teams going in hard at the ball all day.

“They wanted it more, and we had a couple of players who were a bit flat on the day, but overall, I was happy with the standard.

“No matter what we tried, it didn’t come off, while they had about three chances and they made the most of them.”

· Zebras goalkeeper, Frank Mainella said:

“We played really well and dominated for long periods before they took over for shorter periods.

“I only had one long-range shot to deal with in the first half and another save to make later, which I managed to get down for and turn wide.”

_____________________________________________________________________

Somerset Sharks (3-4-1-2): Nettleton - Hingston, C Eaves (Snare 85), Wells - R Eaves, C Considine, Reed, Skene - B Eaves - S Cocks (Ford 75), A Considine.

Substitutes not used: Campbell, Woolford

Booked: R Eaves, C Eaves, Reed

Goals: B Eaves 75

Tilford Zebras (3-5-2): Mainella - Fagg, Smith, Connolly - Self, C Cox (Falzon 46), Pullen, Frediani (Nicholson 80), Brazendale - D Lapolla, Fennell

Substitutes not used: D Cox, Sward

Booked: Brazendale, Fagg, D Lapolla

Goals: Falzon 60, Frediani 70, Brazendale 85

Att: 250

Ref: D Cole

By Walter Pless

Launceston City beat Somerset 2-0 at Valley Road on Saturday to collect the Milan Lakoseljac Memorial Trophy.

Somerset, the northern Premier League champions, had several good chances in the opening quarter of an hour, including one shot from Ricky Eaves that hit the post.

But, City took the lead in the 38^th minute through substitute Josh Duncan, who converted Roger Mies’s low cross from the left.

City squandered two penalties conceded by Casey Eaves. City captain, Alex Brownlie, placed his spot-kick wide on both occasions.

With five minutes remaining, Michael Frost netted City’s second, after the Somerset keeper could only parry Anthony Macri’s shot, to ensure a happy ending to a dismal season for the Launceston outfit, who had finished fourth in the league.

It was the final appearance for City striker Mies, midfielder Justin Dyer and goalkeeper Lino Sciulli, all of whom are retiring.

“They wanted it more than us and used the retirement of Mies, Dyer and Sciulli to lift their game for this cup final,” said Somerset coach, Craig Macey.

“Apart from the opening stages, we were up against it, and Sciulli pulled one out of the hat for his final game.”

City coach, David Craig, said: “It was good, really good, more so because of the three players who were finishing up today.

“It was a very special day for them and I’m really happy for them.”

In the final southern Premier League match of the season, University withstood tremendous Metro-Claremont pressure to win 3-1 at Olinda Grove on Saturday.

Metro had most of the play in the opening half and squandered a dozen chances, including a bad miss by Edward Guma, who somehow hit the crossbar from 4 metres with an open goal beckoning after University keeper Ashley Winter had turned Adam McKeown’s shot against the post.

University, against the odds, led 1-0 at the interval through a Colin Shepherd free-kick in the 28^th minute.

Julian Poud made it 2-0 from Matthew Shaw’s cross on the hour before Metro captain Shane Kent pulled a goal back from a penalty midway through the half.

University earned a penalty in the final minute and allowed goalkeeper Winter to take it, but his spot-kick was saved by substitute keeper Troy Kaden.

Referee Stephen Pitchford ordered the kick re-taken because of an infringement and Proud made no mistake to collect his second goal of the match and make the score-line 3-1 for the home side.

Beachside made sure of the Division One championship on Saturday with a 2-1 away win over second-last Christian United at Sherburd and booked a date with Metro-Claremont for the promotion/relegation play-off beginning next weekend.

Beachside led 1-0 at the break through a shot by Sebastian Milford, which took a deflection off United’s David Noble.

John De Vries equalised in the second half, but another strike by Milford ensured Beachside of the title.

Goals by Tom McDonald, Geoff Freeman and Ben Daley gave fourth-placed Kingborough Lions United a 3-0 win over third-placed Kingston Cannons at Lightwood Park.

In the final Reserve League match of the season, seventh-ranked Taroona lost 1-0 at home to sixth-placed University at Kelvedon Park through a goal by Brook Teale.

In Friday night’s women’s State-wide Cup final, Nelson Eastern Suburbs came back from a one-goal half-time deficit against the lowly-ranked Clarence United to win 3-1 after extra-time.

Clarence, second-last on the ladder, produced a courageous and skilful display to worry the league champion and Marlugu Dixon headed them in front with the side’s first corner of the game, taken by Harkana Dixon, in the 36^th minute.

Nicole Hale equalised in the 59^th minute but was promptly sent off after receiving a second yellow card for taking off her shirt and engaging in an overly exuberant goal celebration.

Clarence almost regained the lead when Nelson’s Lauren Barnes deflected a shot against her own post, but when the ball ricocheted to Marlugu Dixon, she directed her powerful shot straight at Nelson goalkeeper Katelin Barker.

Clarence goalkeeper Tess Joiner-Stewart had an outstanding game overall, but it was her poor goalkick in the 11^th minute of extra-time that enabled Chrystal Dean to fire Nelson ahead.

Dean made it 3-1 a minute later when she ran onto a great ball out of defence and advanced on goal before beating Joiner-Dixon with a well-placed shot.

South Hobart finished second in the Division One competition, three points adrift of champion Beachside, after beating bottom-side Huon Valley 5-1 at home at Wellesley Park on Sunday.

South Hobart dominated the opening half and led 2-0, but a plucky Huon Valley staged a revival early in the second half and scored just past the hour mark to make it one goal the difference.

Three goals in the final 20 minutes - two of them in the last 10 minutes - killed off a tiring Valley outfit that lost all 18 of its league matches this season.

The first half was like a shooting gallery with South Hobart peppering the visitors’ goal, but good goalkeeping by Liam Donohue and stubborn defending by Tobias Stauffer, Anton Cirvydas, John O’Toole and Mark Thompson restricted South to two goals.

Tom Veness, who was a constant danger down the left, fired South in front in the 11^th minute, while Rowan Franklin made it 2-0 midway through the half from David Cooper’s corner.

Ben Vale pulled a goal back for the Valley in the 62^nd minute after a defensive error by South, but Travers Wailes netted from Fred Assenheimer’s corner in the 73^rd minute to restore the home side’s two-goal buffer.

Premier League player David Cooper netted in the 80^th and 89^th minutes to complete South’s victory.

“It was a pretty hard-fought game,” said Huon Valley’s 48-year-old defender O’Toole, who was playing his 301^st game for the club.

“South had a lot of young guys with good control, but we weren’t a push-over and at least we pushed them.

“I think we made them play hard for their win.”

O’Toole had notched up his 300^th game for the club by playing in the reserves curtain-raiser. He has only been playing football for 12 years, having started his career at the age of 37.

South Hobart coach, Jed Donoghue, said: “Huon Valley played well in patches and so did we, but it was a bit of a scrappy game.

“We got five goals, but I was just disappointed we didn’t keep a clean sheet.”

By Walter Pless

Premier League, Olinda Grove, Saturday, 1 September 2007

Roysten Dutton slides in to thwart University’s Matthew Shaw

University 3 (Shepherd 28, Proud 61, 89 pen)

Metro-Claremont 1 (S Kent 65 pen)

HT: 1-0 Att: 70 Ref: I Colhoun (S Pitchford 70)

University (1-3-4-2): Winter - M Andrews - Manaka (Teale 84), Fletcher, J Andrews - Mills, Richardson, Shepherd, Shaw (Matsuo 95) - Proud, Stockdale (Merry 55) [Substitute not used: Kirkham] [Player-Coach: M Shaw]

Metro-Claremont (1-2-5-2): Biggar (Kaden 71) - Chaffey - Curran (Gasparin 81), Dutton - Dawes, McKeown, Hope, Rahni, Marney (Lawler 61) - S Kent, Guma [Substitute not used: Herring] [Player-Coach: M Gasparin]

Metro’s Mohand Rahni wins the ball against University’s Colin Shepherd

Metro-Claremont ran riot in the first half of this replay of the earlier league meeting between the sides but trailed 1-0 at the break through a goal from a free-kick by Colin Shepherd in the 28^th minute.

The goalmouth action in the 7^th minute summed up Metro’s day. Adam McKeown’s low shot was turned against the inside of the left-hand post by Ashley Winter and the ball rebounded across the goal to the far post, where Edward Guma incredibly hit the bar from four metres.

In the 13^th minute, Stuart hope’s header looped onto the top of the crossbar and Winter caught the ball as it came down. The ball looked suspiciously over the line as Winter clutched it to his chest, but play continued.

It was all Metro and in the 24^th minute Shane Kent squandered a good chance by shooting straight at the goalkeeper.

Two minutes later, a great ball forward by Darrin Chaffey found McKeown and Kent through the defence together, but Kent chipped over the goalkeeper and wide of the target.

Matthew Shaw evades a tackle by Metro’s Darrin Chaffey

Matthew Shaw had the ball in the Metro net in the 27^th minute, but the effort was ruled off-side.

A minute later, Shepherd put the Students in front.

In the 34^th minute, Winter had to dive to turn Kent’s free-kick wide as Metro’s bad luck continued.

Julian Proud made it 2-0 in the 61^st minute when he converted Shaw’s low cross from the left.

Metro keeper Neil Biggar takes a corner

Metro earned a penalty for handball in the 65^th minute and Kent netted to make it one goal the difference.

That was the signal for Troy Kaden to replace Neil Biggar in the Metro goal in preparation for next weekend’s promotion/relegation play-off with Beachside, who won the Division One title the same afternoon by beating Christian United 2-1.

Referee Ian Colhoun suffered a calf injury at this point and was replaced by senior assistant referee Stephen Pitchford, while University official John Parry took the flag.

A change of referees and a quick check on the time before resuming

University’s Taka Manaka was stretchered off in the 80^th minute with a leg injury and replaced by Brook Teale.

In the 89^th minute, University were awarded a penalty and goalkeeper Ashley Winter came up to take it. Kaden saved his spot-kick by diving to his left.

Mr Pitchford ordered the kick to be retaken and Proud made no mistake, sending Kaden diving to his left while the ball went straight down the middle.

Reserve goalkeeper Ryo Matsuo then came on in place of Matthew Shaw and went in goal, while Winter moved into the attack.

He had one shot in open play, but that was straight at Kaden.

Manaka down but not out

The three points were just reward for University, who had won the initial game 5-1 before a timing discrepancy led to the replay.

University finished in seventh place and Metro last.

“Well, its over,” said University’s player-coach, Matthew Shaw. “We were terrible in the first half at times.

“We just opened up the gates and said “Here, have a shot’.

“They just didn’t seem to want to stick it in the net. They had an open goal at the top of the six-yard box. You should score them every time, but we were kind of grateful they didn’t.

“In the second half we had a little bit more control, but still, we took our chances and they didn’t.

“If you don’t take them, you pay the price for not taking them.

Metro captain Shane Kent confronted by a University defender

“We’ve had games like that this year.”

Metro goalkeeper, Neil Biggar, said: “I think it was a good hit-out for next week, actually.

“Having the week off would have done more harm than good, I think.

“We created more opportunities today than I think we had for half the season and we got one goal for it, and that was a penalty.

“Sometimes it happens like that.

Metro’s substitute keeper Troy Kaden takes a free kick

“We’re quite confident for the game against Beachside. We got one goal today, but if we create half as many chances next week, we’re going to score goals. We have to score goals.

“We’re not worried about them. We’re only worried about us.”

Biggar said he did not know whether he or Troy Kaden would be in goal against Beachside.

He said it was good to see Kaden back because he was the future of the club and that the 20 minutes he played in this game were important.

Metro’s Jason Dawes tackles Colin Shepherd

UNIVERSITY		METRO-CLAREMONT
13	Goal Attempts	17
10	Shots on Target	6
2	Corners	6
14	Fouls Committed	15
6	Off-Sides	5
1 (Stockdale 53)	Yellow Cards	2 (Rahni 47, S Kent 72)
0	Red Cards	0

University:

PLAYER	GOAL ATTEMPTS	SHOTS ON TARGET
Stockdale	2	1
Proud	4	2
Shepherd	1	1
Shaw	2	2
Richardson	1	1
Winter	2	2
M Andrews	1	1

Metro’s Troy Kaden saves Ashley Winter’s penalty

Metro-Claremont:

PLAYER	GOAL ATTEMPTS	SHOTS ON TARGET
McKeown	5	1
Guma	2	1
Dawes	1	0
Hope	1	1
S Kent	8	3

University’s Julian Proud scores a penalty to make it 3-1

Ludford clears a corner

 

By Walter Pless

_____________________________________________________________________

Alex Gordon shoots at goal

Tilford Zebras won the southern Premier League title despite being held to a goalless draw by second-last New Town Eagles at KGV Park on Friday night.

Zebras finished with 43 points, one ahead of second-placed South Hobart, who beat University 5-0 on Sunday.

Zebras will meet northern Premier League champion Somerset at Cardigan Street on 8 September to decide the State premiership.

Beecroft scores his second penalty of the match

Metro-Claremont were condemned to the wooden spoon and a home-and-away promotion/relegation play-off, probably against Beachside, after they lost 3-1 away to second-last Taroona at Kelvedon Park on Saturday.

Clarence United moved from fourth to third with a 1-0 away win against sixth-placed Kingborough Lions United on Saturday, the first-half goal coming from a Sam Cannamela penalty.

Clarence displaced Hobart Olympic, but only for 24 hours because Olympic beat Glenorchy Knights 2-1 the next day to move back and finish in third spot.

Zebras were far from impressive against a keen Eagles outfit, who needed a point to be sure of avoiding the wooden spoon.

Free kick to University

Zebras started strongly and forced three corners in quick succession, but Eagles soon had their measure and created promising chances of their own in a tense contest.

In the 25^th minute, Zebras produced a fine build-up, but Romeo Frediani fired straight at Eagles’ goalkeeper, Nathan Pitchford.

Scott Telega went close for Eagles in the 28^th minute, while Zebras’ Josh Thorpe sent a powerful drive just wide of the angle of post and crossbar five minutes before the break.

Poor finishing also characterised the second half, with Alex Leszczynski and Cormac Collins squandering good chances for Eagles and Pitchford producing a spectacular save from Aaron Brazendale, who had been put through by Brett Pullen.

Jon Foley-Donoghue clears for South

Metro’s Darrin Chaffey headed against the Taroona crossbar following Jason Dawes’s cross in the 11^th minute in the bottom-of-the-table clash.

The visitors took a 31^st-minute lead when Aaron Marney rounded both Brett Matthews and Cian Carey on the left before cutting the ball back for Dawes to score, his shot taking a deflection off Stefano Flonta before sneaking inside the far post.

Two minutes later, Taroona’s Chris Cox’s shot hit the post as the home side fought back.

Cox equalised in the 63^rd minute from Julien Timmins’s pass, while Stephen Gates put Taroona ahead three minutes later when Metro goalkeeper Neil Biggar could only parry Billy Gasparinatos’s shot.

Proud heads clear after a South Hobart corner

An own-goal by Metro defender Adrian Lawler made it 3-1, while Metro’s misery was compounded in the final minute when Terry Kent was sent off after collecting two yellow cards in quick succession.

South Hobart did it easily against University at Olinda Grove on Sunday.

A penalty by Bart Beecroft just before the interval - awarded for Michael Andrews’s foul on Daniel Brown - gave South a 1-0 lead at the break.

Beecroft made it 2-0 within three minutes of the resumption, while David Cooper added the third with a powerful long-range shot in the 63^rd minute.

Roach deals with Shepherd and Manaka

Alex Gordon scored the fourth in the 75^th minute after he was put through the home-side’s defence, while Beecroft completed his hat-trick with another penalty, awarded for Taka Manaka’s foul on Gordon, in the 79^th minute.

University rarely threatened and their only real chance came from an Adam Mills far-post header from Manaka’s right-wing cross in the 28^th minute of the first half.

University goalkeeper Ashley Winter produced some excellent saves to restrict South’s tally to five.

University have one match remaining, against bottom-side Metro-Claremont, on 1 September, and that will complete the league season.

Shepherd gets the ball out of defence

Hobart Olympic did well to overcome fifth-placed and deposed champions Glenorchy Knights 2-1 at the Athletic Centre on Sunday.

Michael Bulis, who finished as the league’s top marksman with 15 goals, put Olympic ahead from Chris Tsakiris’s through-ball in the first half, while Ben Backhaus grabbed the second after the interval. Martin Cairns scored a late consolation goal for the visitors.

Southern Premier League Ladder (as at 26 August 2007)

TEAM	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Tilford Zebras	18	13	4	1	59	17	43
South Hobart	18	13	3	2	47	13	42
Hobart Olympic	18	11	3	4	39	20	36
Clarence United	18	10	4	4	33	26	34
Glenorchy Knights	18	7	3	8	32	38	24
Kingborough Lions United	18	6	3	9	25	31	21
University	17	4	3	10	25	38	15
Taroona	18	4	2	12	19	47	14
New Town Eagles	18	2	6	10	14	33	12
Metro-Claremont	17	1	5	11	21	51	8

Shepherd heads clear

____________________________________________________________________

In the Reserve League, fifth-placed Tilford Zebras thrashed bottom side New Town Eagles 8-2 at KGV Park on Friday evening.

Dylan Fennell hit a hat-trick, Jayden Welch grabbed a brace and Fabian Lapolla and Josh Smith netted a goal apiece for Zebras, while Jeremy Marshall and Jamie Vernon replied for Eagles.

South’s Jon Foley-Donoghue gets a header away

Second-placed Clarence United beat third-placed Kingborough Lions United 3-2 away at Lightwood Park on Saturday through an Alan Jablonski penalty, a goal by Jon Darby and an own-goal.

Ashleigh Moor and Alexander Beaumont replied for the Lions.

Seventh-placed Taroona drew 1-1 with second-last Metro at Kelvedon Park on Saturday, both goals coming in the first half.

Kurt De Jong netted for Taroona and Edward Guma for Metro.

Taroona defenders surround Metro’s Aaron Marney

On Sunday, champions South Hobart were held to a 1-1 draw by University and Olympic also drew 1-1 with the Knights.

Matthew Platts was the University marksman, while Callan Paske replied for South. Aaron Pinkus netted for Olympic and Ivan Vucica for the Knights.

RESERVE LEAGUE (As at 26 August 2007)

TEAM	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
South Hobart	18