Kingborough v Riverside Olympic
Date: Saturday 25 July
Venue: Lightwood Park
Kick Off: 2:15 PM
2020 Record:
Kingborough (1-0-0)
Riverside (0-0-1)
Top Scorers
KL: (1) Chris Downes, Davis Bryan
RO: N/A
Recent Head to Head Record
2019: Round 3: Kingborough 2-1 Riverside
2019: Round 14: Riverside 0-1 Kingborough
2019: Round 23: Riverside 1-1 Kingborough
The Kingborough Lions sit atop the table after one round of the season and now play host to Riverside Olympic at Lightwood Park as they look to maintain those lofty heights. A strong defensive display against the Knights last week saw the Lions looking very tough to break down with Cowen and Bighin forming a good partnership in front of gloveman Lee Mackie. Shane Cartwright added plenty when he came off the bench and once he is fully fit and ready to start the Lions should only get stronger. Despite the loss of a number of key players, Jez Kenth has his side well set out and they should fancy themselves to get the job done at home. Riverside were similarly solid in defence against the defending Champions, as Olner and Prince did a mountain of work in front of the ever impressive Jarrod Hill, who remains his sides most important player and he is capable of stealing them a result on any given day. Youngster Fletcher Fulton impressed on his senior NPL debut and along with Liam Gilmore the youth movement is well underway at Windsor Park. They struggled to create chances against the Strikers but should see more of the ball this week which Alex Gaetaini will hope translates into goals.
Clarence Zebras v South Hobart
Date: Saturday 25 July
Venue: Wentworth Park
Kick Off: 2:30 PM
2020 Record:
Clarence Zebras (1-0-0)
South Hobart (1-0-0)
Top Scorers
CZ: (1) Lachlan Burt
SH: (2) Samuel Tooze
Recent Head to Head Record
2020: Summer Cup: South Hobart 2-0 Clarence Zebras
Two sides with strong first up performances meet at Wentworth Park in what looms an intriguing clash. The Zebras bounced back from Cup disappointment with a great rearguard display to blunt the Olympia Warriors and claim Derby bragging rights on their NPL debut in what was a rugged performance. This can be a difficult ground for visitors to come to and if they defend as stoutly as last week then you get the sense it could be a real fortress for them moving fowards. South nearly let the game slip against Launceston City, but set it up with a strong first hour led by their speedy attacking front line. That attack is set to be bolstered even further by one of the State's very best product in Andy Brennan. After seeing so many players depart the club over the Summer months, it's remarkable that they appear to once again be right in the thick of the 2020 title race but that is just what this club does, Ken Morton always has an ace up his sleeve and if he can set his side out to win this one, then they will be nicely positioned for another title tilt.Glenorchy Knights v Olympia Warriors
Date: Saturday 25 July
Venue: KGV
Kick Off: 4:30 PM
2020 Record:
Glenorchy Knights (0-0-1)
Olympia Warriors (0-0-1)
Top Scorers
GK: N/A
Oly: N/A
Recent Head to Head Record
2020: Summer Cup: Glenorchy Knights 1-2 Olympia Warriors
2019 NPL: Round 19: Olympia Warriors 2-1 Glenorchy Knights
2019: NPL Round 10: Glenorchy Knights 1-3 Olympia Warriors
It may only be round 2, but the Glenorchy Knights and Olympia Warriors are facing a must win scenario as they prepare to clash on Saturday at KGV. The Warriors fell 1-0 to Eastern Shore rivals Clarence Zebras in a heated game at Wentworth Park, in what was a bit of a surprise result following their strong Summer Cup win and their dominant Lakoseljac Cup victory the week prior. Making matters more difficult, they will be without star attacker Callum Brown who will serve a 1 match suspension after his sending of for 2 yellow cards in the defeat. The Knights will also be keen to bounce back and get their season off and running after they also fell to a Round 1 defeat, losing 2-0 to the Kingborough Lions in another surprise result. The Knights had plenty of chances against the Lions but simply couldn't convert them and were made to rue a combination of some close range misses and a poor goalkeeping error that led to the Lions second goal of the game. The Warriors have utterly dominated the recent meetings between the two sides and have won the last 10 competitive matches that the two sides have played out and won 16 of the last 17. You have to go all the way back to August of the 2012 Southern Premier League season when the Knights last beat Olympia and that is a streak they simply must stop if they want to avoid falling into an early hole.Launceston City v Devonport Strikers
Date: Saturday 25 July
Venue: Buckby Landrover Park
Kick Off: 4:30 PM
2020 Record:
Launceston City (0-0-1)
Devonport Strikers (1-0-0)
Top Scorers
Launceston City: (1) Yasin Mohamadi, Samuel Ridgard
Devonport: (1) Joel Stone
Recent Head to Head Record
2020: Lakoseljac Cup Round of 16: Launceston City 2-1 Devonport
2019 NPL: Round 19: Launceston City 0-4 Devonport
2019: NPL Round 10: Devonport 5-2 Launceton City
A big rivalry game in the North pits the defending league champions up against their cup conquerors from a fortnight earlier. There has been no shortage of heat in the clashes between these two sides in recent years, frequently boiling over on the pitch and it has really developed into what might just be the leagues fiercest rivalry. That will only get ratcheted up further with Devonport out to avenge their Cup defeat and maintain an unbeaten start to the league season. Englishmen Rob Gerrard was the star of the show 2 weeks ago, scoring two top quality goals and after a 2019 season where City looked dependent on Noah Mies for goals, they now have a rather potent looking attack. Mies and Gerrard along with Jarrod Linger and Samuel Ridgard, mean that City have got some real firepower at their disposal this season to test a defence that has been the best in the State over several seasons now. Devonport's build up play was good last week, but if not Pitchford's late heroics their lack of clinical finishing would have cost them two points. They will need to be much more ruthless in front of goal this week in their third trip to Launceston in as many weeks.