Preview of Round 14 in the Forestry Tasmania NPL

Northern Rangers Vs Launceston United – NTCA

Chris Hunt in action against Launceston Earlier this year.

Northern Rangers got away with a very close win last time these two sides met at Birch Avenue, will the wide expanse of the NTCA prove this game to be a different result.  With the constant rain early in the week, the passing game of Rangers will be slowed with the ground wet under foot and the wicket block almost certain to be tacky at best, but with mainly clear conditions, the game should go ahead regardless.

Launceston had availability problems last week and succumbed to the vastly improved Launceston City, they will need a considerable return to form to force Rangers to the last moments again this week.


Ulverstone Vs Prospect Knights - Ulverstone Showgrounds



Matthew Sesay will be hungry for goals
against Ulverstone this week.



One ground that wont be affected by the rain is the Ulverstone Showgrounds, Prospect have struggled against Ulverstone over the resent years, and a continuation of such results will make things very difficult for the Knights.   Knights will however take confidence from the match against Northern Rangers, particularly the first half where they should have put the game to bed.  A repeat of that first half performance against Ulverstone will have the Knights singing again.  Ulverstone however will be keen to cement themselves into the top four with a return to form after the surprise loss to Burnie last weekend.  Nick Owen would be confident this week, but must be wary of the Prospect forward line.







Devonport Strikers Vs Burnie United - Valley Road



Sam Cocks will be lucky to find himslef this far forward
on the weekend against Devonport.



Devonport seem to be quietly going about their business now, putting each team to the sword as they cross them.  The overseas injection has brought the consistency in results now with Robby McDonald bolstering an already talented side.    None can deny their ability to score goals, and with Chris Mckenna in some of the best form in recent memory, Burnie will struggle to contain their coastal neighbours.  Sam Cocks should line himself at up at sweeper, which will make for a delightful spectical as he goes head to head with Mckenna and McDonald.  Cocks will be sweating on the fitness of some of his better players in Ashtyn Johnston and Elliot Stewart, if they play, Burnie may just fancy their chances.

Launceston City Vs Somerset - Mitsubishi Park

City's Keeper David Smith has been in good form, 
A good game from him could be the difference
on Saturday between City and Somerset.

This is the battle of the improvers.  Somerset announced a return to form after their 4-1 win over Riverside on the road last week, so the trip to Launceston seems to do nothing to their confidence.  City have also had some good results lately, and would like this to continue against the Sharks.  An outside chance the game may yet get postponed, as the local council and FFT will assess the ground on Friday to see if it can be re opened for this weekend’s matches. It all bodes well for a close but high scoring match, and might well be worth the money at the gate if you are in the area.  A top four finish is on the line this week for City especially.

Forestry Tasmania NPL Round 13 Ladder

Team	Played	Won	Draw	Lost	For	Against	Points
Northern Rangers	12	9	1	2	29	11	28
Devonport City	11	9	0	2	38	18	27
Prospect Knights	11	8	1	2	27	11	25
Ulverstone	11	6	1	4	27	18	19
Launceston City	12	4	3	5	22	23	15
Riverside Olympic	12	4	2	6	20	26	14
Burnie United	11	4	0	7	19	23	12
Somerset	12	4	0	8	22	32	12
Launceston United	12	0	0	12	16	58	0

Report From Knights Vs Rangers

Northern Rangers had all to play for against Prospect Knights this week, in fact the winner was destined to take over top spot for the week with Devonport taking a week off for the bye.
A big occasion for Derek Schipper who celebrated his 200^th game, and what a match to do it.

Some last minute changes but Rangers had a strong team on the park, losing Stefan Jago but gaining Adam Beard in equal swap.

Knights had claimed to be at full strength and were well and truly up for this clash, if for no other reason than the Knights have failed to beat Rangers in some 9 outings since 2007.

The opening stages proved the Knights resolve to win this match and go to top of the table.  Knights applied high pressure to the Ranger back line, and allowed none of the visitors any space, it was clear that Prospect were going to have a determined crack.  After plenty of pressure it was Knights who took the lead when Ben Croswell muscled through to go one on one with Pooley in goals and he expertly slotted the opening goal inside the opening 25 minutes.

Rangers continued to struggle to get the momentum back and Knights were unlucky to have a penalty waved away by Mark Spicer.

Matthew Sessay almost doubled the lead for Prospect when he won the ball in the six yard box, his shot hit the upright and rebounded into play but was cleared by Sam Luck.  Some one on ones were brilliantly saved by Pooley to keep Rangers in the game. Rangers were still creating chances but could not manage the finishing required to draw back level, and looked in second gear coming out of defense.

Schipper was in tip top form in midfield, and most of the attacks came through him, his foot skills were again magical and slipped past many a Knight with some creative play.

In the last 15 minutes of the half, Rangers fought back into the game, and started to reverse the dominance and re take control, but went into half time a goal behind but with the resolve needed to take the lead.

The second half was a different affair, with Rangers one touch passing getting back to the required level and the intensity at a much higher level.  Knights may have pushed a little too early and struggled to keep the pressure up in the second half.

A beautiful cross came in from the left side of the park and Hingston ran for the back post and headed home the equaliser early in the second half.

Rangers began to grow in confidence and pushed hard for the winner.  With 12 minutes still to play it came when a corner was sent in, it cleared the waiting pack in the six yard box but was sent back in by Patty Lanau-Atkinson, his ball back into pressure found Chris Hunt perfectly balanced on his left foot and he dispatched the shot from close range to help Rangers to the lead.

Knights pushed on for the leveller from here and could have had it on a number of occasions, but Pooley was in strong form in goals this week, and Sam Luck silenced his critics with a masterful display at centre back.

Sessay continued to warn Rangers he could turn the game back, but he was denied by a strong defensive effort this week.

Time ticked on and Rangers had won an epic battle with an old foe.  Another classic, and Rangers continued to hold the wood over Prospect, but only just, on reflection a draw would have been the fair result, but Rangers did what they needed to do to get their nose in front at the end of the game.  Credit to Knights, they are a worthy challenger for the title, and this doesn’t exclude them from the race, a draw or a loss for Rangers quiet possibly would have put the tittle beyond the reach of the back to back champions. 

Adam Whitemore Said after the game "I thought we showed great character to again overturn a deficit. It's been a common trait of ours over the last 2 seasons and shows real mental strength. Knights unquestionably had the better of the first half. They had greater intensity and shut us down quickly. A small, bumpy ground certainly didn't help our ability to keep possession, but we were lucky to go in only one down. We started to take some control in the last 15 minutes but didn't create a great deal.

We made some minor adjustments at half time, pushing our fullbacks onto their wingbacks, and our wide attackers into the space behind. The second half was the opposite of the first, we were the better side, created plenty of chances, and we managed to dominate midfield as they tired. They didn't adjust to the change in the pattern of the game so a second goal was always on the cards.

It was hard on Knights who I thought were excellent, but at this stage of the season it's about winning the tight games, and this was a critical game that neither side could afford to lose.

We will need to play better though. 4 more wins to go."

Ulverstone v Burnie Match Report

I don't know what to write really. It was a really even game with very few chances for either team. We scored first from an unlikely source. Ben Hutchinson hit a rocket from about 35 metres that took the Bradley Ryan in goal by surprise. Ryan could only get fingertips to it before it crossed the line. Burnie Struck back through Paul Bremner after he pounced on a loose ball after a free kick. Half time score 1-1.

The second half was much the same really. There were only one or two decent chances for both teams. It took a special goal to break the deadlock. Mitchell Stitz pick the ball up on the half way line, skun his defender Brian Tabrett, and, from 30m out, powered the ball into the top corner.

Burnie's defensive efforts won them the game. Sam Cocks started himself at sweeper and didn't allow our strikers in behind the defence. He was probably best on ground. Ash Smith sacrificed his game to stop Michael Grey having any impact on the game. Cocks will be more than pleased with Burnie's newer inclusions, Andrew Gibson, Malcolm Walters, Josh Daley and Connor Parke, whom all played solid roles for their team.

Ben Hutchinson was our best player today but no one else really stood out. There were some disappointing performances from a few of our players today. There will be at least 2 changes to our side next week and probably a couple of positional changes also. Some players are either not getting the message from training or are not fit enough to put the message into action, so things have to change.

Burnie certainly turned around their discipline issues. Things weren't really going either teams way with the refereeing decisions. There were a few incidents where, in the past, they could have been blown up and became out of control. To Burnie's credit, they accepted these decisions and brushed them off and in the end they got the result they were after. To our credit, we managed to do the same minus the result.

3 - Sam Cocks
2 - Ben Hutchinson
1 - AshSmith

Saturday Results for the 2nd of July

Seniors:
Launceston City 6 defeated Launceston 1
Northern Rangers (Hunt, Hingston) defeated Prospect Knights 1 (Croswell)
Somerset 4 defeated Riverside 1
Burnie United 2 (Bremner, Stitz) defeated Ulverstone 1 (Hutchinson)

Reserves
Prospect Knights 0 drew Northern Rangers 0
Somerset 3 defeated Riverside 2

Under 18s
Launceston United 3 defeated Launceston City 1
Prospect Knights 0 drew Northern Rangers 0
Somerset 1 defeated Riverside 0

This Week's Fixtures

Riverside v Somerset          Windsor Park

Fourth spot is still within reach for Riverside if they have a good finish to the season but it has to secure a win over the Sharks this weekend to keep the pressure on. Somerset may miss Bobby Eaves, if the reports are true, and this could be enough to unsettle their side and give River the advantage. Riverside won the first round encounter 4-2.

Ulverstone v Burnie          Ulverstone Showgrounds

Ulverstone have had the last two weekends off and should be fired up to take on Burnie this week. Ulverstone will be looking to have a win to keep the pressure on whoever loses the Rangers/Knights clash and to keep the gap between them and 5^th place. Finishing 4^th in the league leaves you with a long trip to take on South Hobart so third spot or higher will be the aim. Burnie will be looking to bounce back to some form after losses to Knights and Taroona in their past two matches. Ulverstone won the first round 3-1.

Launceston City v Launceston United           Mitsubishi Park

These two teams have played twice this year with the ledger all square at a game each. City won the league match 4-3 but United won the cup match 2-1. United will fancy their chances of beating City again but City are a proud club and will remember that defeat as if it were yesterday. United are running out of games to get a result and you would think they are close. Is this the weekend?

Prospect v Rangers           Prospect Park

Bang! Massive game! Judging by the blog comments, the two teams don’t like each other much and with a shot at a premiership at stake, this is a must win for both teams. It will be hard for either team to score you would think, with the two best defences in the league on show, however South Hobart put 6 past Rangers last week to prove their defence has weaknesses. Also, the last time these two met, Knights conceded a third of their total goals conceded for the year. Rangers won 3-0. With plenty of tension and lots at stake, this will surely be game of the round. The winner will go to the top of the ladder.

Devonport – Bye

This is one week Kenny won’t score! Rest up old fella.