Strikers Reclaim Top Spot

Football Tasmania Media 1556366095,1556366095
The Devonport Strikers have bounced back from their first defeat of the season in impressive style, defeating Launceston City 5-2 at home. The victory sees the Strikers return to the top of the NPL Tasmania table, leapfrogging the Olympia Warriors to go two points clear at the top. A first-half blitz from the home side proved to be the difference between the two sides, with winger Max Fitzgerald looking like his usual dangerous self early on. Within the first fifteen minutes, Fitzgerald produced three scoring opportunities, one of which being his goal in the ninth minute. After putting a shot wide of the goal during a one-on-one with the keeper just five minutes in, Fitzgerald replied with a goal less than five minutes later. The Striker collected the ball inside the 18-yard box and placed his shot past Clark to send his side 1-0 up. Fitzgerald was back at it again just before the quarter of an hour mark, getting in behind of Goold and taking the ball past the keeper with the goal wide open in front of him. He would have added a second goal to his tally if not for Goold who made up ground and cleared Fitzgerald's shot off the line. Two more goals were to come before half time, with both being scored in the space of three minutes. In a poor period of the game for City, Giampaoli fired one home from close range in the 22nd minute and Dorazio was the unlucky scorer of an own goal in the 25th. An attempted clearance of a powerful cross did not go to plan for the City defender and the ball was blasted into the visitor's net, leaving Clark with no hope of making a save. A second-half brace from Noah Mies was not enough to salvage the game for City. The first of the City striker's goals came less than ten minutes after the break. Charlie Dyer cut inside and laid the ball off to Mies who took a touch and finished into the bottom left. Before Mies could add his second, Joel Stone and Miles Barnard popped up with a goal each, showing their class with well-taken shots from inside the area. Stone coolly slid the ball between the legs of Clark to send his side 4-1 up. Then in the 89th minute, Barnard curled his shot past the keeper from a tight angle to make it 5-1 to the home side. Mies' second goal came from a spot-kick after the returning Isaac Degetto was taken down by his marker inside the box. Mies stepped up to take the penalty and hit it low and hard underneath a diving Nathan Pitchford. However, it was too little, too late for the visitors, as the referee blew the whistle and ended the game at 5-2 in favour of the reigning champions. On a bright note for Mies, his double means that he has now scored three of the five goals that Devonport have conceded this season. An impressive feat against a strong and well-organised defence.