https://youtu.be/8SRsLAwVxvY
It was much a much closer game than the result might suggest, but the Glenorchy Knights kept their NPL Tasmania title hopes alive with a 3-0 win over Riverside Olympic.
After finding themselves on the back foot and outplayed for large portions of the first half, the Knights responded with an impressive second half performance. A deflected shot from Nicholas Naden gave them the lead just past the hour mark before a pair of stoppage-time goals gave them some breathing room late. Riverside had the better of the chances in the first half, but with their key players smothered after the break they struggled to stay in the contest and were finally overrun.
Glenorchy looked to control the tempo of the game from the outset, holding possession and moving methodically down the wings. A pair of early chances to Joffrey Nkoso looked like an ominous sign, but he and his teammates struggled to find the final delivery needed to really threaten the goal. At the other end, Riverside livewire Nil Sanz looked dangerous every time he touched the ball with his silky skills on full display. He and Fletcher Fulton combined well down the left wing on numerous occasions, with the latter setting up the best early chance for Liam Gilmore who sent a shot just wide.
An opening goal looked imminent just after the half-hour mark, with a flurry of action starting when referee Stratos pointed to the penalty spot after a challenge in Riverside's attacking area. Their players lined up to take the kick, but after consulting with his assistant the man in charge reversed the decision thanks to an offside player in the build-up. That was quickly followed by a headed chance at the other end, with Ryan Backhouse hitting the shot straight at Jarrod Hill in goal. A fast counter-attack took the ball straight back to the Riverside's attacking end of the field, where Sanz teed up Fulton for a close-range shot that forced a reflex save from Hart.
That flurry of action was the closest the game came to a first-half goal, and the scoresheet remained blank at the interval. An observer new to the league would have been forgiven for thinking that Riverside, not Glenorchy, were fighting to stay in the title race. With their defence holding strong and Sanz in particular making plays in the attacking third, Knights coach James Sherman would have surely been asking for more during the break.
Whatever he said to his players seemed to work, as they played with much more endeavour after the restart. Hill suddenly found himself under siege between the posts as Naden and Schmidt forced a pair of diving saves in quick succession. Riverside still found the ball and moved it forward, but with Sanz suddenly stifled there was less threat on the Glenorchy goal.
All of that came to a head just after the hour mark when the Knights finally found the opening goal. It was a methodical play starting wide on the left and ending with Walter dead in front but with his back to the goal. He laid it off for Naden just outside the box, and his shot took a big deflection off a defender and flew past the diving Hill and into the back of the net. They could have snagged a second two minutes later, but despite finding himself in plenty of time and space Nkoso could only hit it straight onto the Roos gloveman's chest.
Much like in the first half, a sudden burst of action suddenly saw both teams go close to adding a second. Riverside's Mackenzie Hancox hit a shot on the bounce that thumped into the post and somehow stayed out, and less than a minute later Knights substitute Eduardo Castaneda got on the end of the counter but sent his shot wide. The visitors looked safe with a goal kick, but Walter somehow snuck in to steal the ball away and blast a shot that Hill managed to bat away.
That was the last of the end-to-end action, as the rest of the game was all played in Glenorchy's control. A strong penalty appeal and a handful of half-chances looked set to go unrewarded, but a pair of goals in the dying minutes made the final score look much more convincing. A long cross from the right found Castaneda in the middle, and while his header was well saved by Hill the rebound fell straight back to him and he made no mistake. Three minutes later, and with the last play of the game, Walter again took the ball with his back to goal but this time turned past his marker and finished past Hill at the near post.
While the final 3-0 scoreline didn't reflect the competitiveness of the contest, it was a much-needed win for the Knights regardless. One more point to the Devonport Strikers will end the title race, but Glenorchy's next challenge will be next week's trip to Warrior Park to face Olympia. Riverside, meanwhile, will be hoping to parlay their improved performance into a result against the Kingborough Lions.