The 2019 season has finished in heartbreak for the Devonport Strikers, with a 3-2 loss to Maitland ending their NPL Finals campaign.
For the second straight year the Strikers have missed out on the quarterfinals by a single goal after they pushed the premiers of the NPL Northern NSW until the final whistle. A pair of penalties and a second-half Sean Pratt goal were enough for Maitland despite Devonport twice pulling to within a goal, first through Miles Barnard and then Charles Bidwell.
It was a shaky start for the Strikers, as they struggled to maintain possession early under pressure from the opposition. Maitland had a host of chances in the opening ten minutes that they couldn't convert, before Andrew Swan won their first penalty from a nudge in the back while on the ball. Spot kick specialist Matt Thompson stepped up and sent Nathan Pitchford the wrong way to grab an early lead for the hosts.
Ten minutes later and it was deja vu for Devonport, as Swan again went down in the area to win another penalty. This time the Strikers protested furiously, with Pitchford and captain Kieran Mulraney both furious, but referee Andrew Higgins stood his ground and Thompson again buried the spot kick.
Still fuming from that contentious call, Devonport channeled that energy onto the pitch and found some instant reward. Just minutes after conceding, Max Fitzgerald flew behind the defence on the left and cut the ball back to Barnard in the middle, who finished well from close range.
That kicked the Strikers into another gear, and they dominated the remainder of the first half. Fitzgerald and Eddie Bidwell wreaked havoc down the wings and Joel Stone controlled the play in the middle, but they couldn't find an equaliser before the break.
They took that momentum into the second half and continued to create chances after the restart. In fact, they looked to have equalised just before the hour mark when a long free kick curled past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. The referee picked out a foul in the area, though, and while Devonport celebrated and were dragged out of shape Maitland broke quickly the other way and were centimetres from adding another goal.
Still the Strikers pressed for a second goal, with Fitzgerald forcing a sharp save from Maitland goalkeeper Matthew Trott. The missed chances continued to mount, and they were left to rue each and every one when the hosts scored against the run of play with less than 20 minutes left. Ryan Clarke made a run down the left and crossed to the back post for Sean Pratt, who had one effort blocked but fired home with the second.
Strikers coach Rick Coghlan rang in the substitutions as they chased a miracle comeback, and it paid dividends five minutes from full time as the freshly introduced Charles Bidwell pounced on a loose ball in the area and finished well for his first senior goal of the year. They pushed hard up until the final whistle, but with time against them they couldn't find the goal they needed and it ended in a 3-2 Maitland victory.
The result marks the end of their season and the end of Coghlan's time in Tasmania, as he will move back to the Gold Coast to be closer to his family. While it wasn't the result he or the Strikers would have wanted, it was still a hugely successful season for the club and they represented Tasmania and the NPL TAS well.