South down Eagles in physical Anzac Day clash

Photos (Top to Bottom): South Hobart and New Town Eagles take to the pitch on Anzac Day; South's Tom Roach makes a diagnosis; Eagles midfielder Ethan Menzie is surrounded by opponents; Physical clashes were the order of Anzac Day; Sulphur-crested cockatoos shrieked from a tree next to the old grandstand as they watched Eagles losing; The sulphur-crested cockatoos decided to call it a day when Eagles were 3-1 down; The main grandstand was not full; South's Jonathon Lo receives the attentions of Eagles' Mark Page as Eagles' keeper Nathan Pitchford awaits the outcome; South keeper Sam Kruijver claims another victim...team-mate Daniel Brown; South Hobart's latest four-man Korean contingent with South's Greg Downes and Hugo Bladel; South keeper Sam Kruijver knees team-mate Matthew Brown in the ribs as he goes for a high ball; Kruijver calls for help as Brown lies injured; Referee Collins calls for the South physio; South's physio, Natsuki Futumura arrives on the scene; Natsuki Futumura and Noel Chaffey take Matthew Brown for treatment; Matthew Brown is replaced by David Abbott on the hour; Eagles' Ben Whitehall (left) battles for possession with South's Liam Scott; South Hobart's South Korean Wook Bum Heo tussles with Eagles' Jamie Vernon; Mr Collins has a stern word with Eagles coach George Krambousanos; Mr Collins sends off Eagles manager Peter Wass; Eagles' Peter Wass is banished to the stands; South's physio, Natsuki Futumura, examines the stud marks on Kostas Kanakaris's side and back [PlessPix]

Forestry Tasmania Southern Premier League (South Hobart, Sunday, 25 April 2010)

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South Hobart 3 (K Kanakaris 2, 25 pen, S Hickey 31)

New Town Eagles 1 (A McKeown 8)

HT: 3-1 Att: 120 Ref: S Collins

South Hobart: Kruijver - D Brown, M Brown (Abbott 60), Scott - Wook Bum Heo (Pennicott 43), Hickey, Roach, Ladic, Beecroft - Kanakaris, Lo [Substitutes not used: King, Moncur] [Coach: Ken Morton]

New Town Eagles: Pitchford - Page (Clamp 75), Wass, Louden (Kent 46), Clark - Whitehall, Anderson, Menzie, Vernon (Strang 46) - McKeown, Leszczynski [Substitute not used: Minty] [Coach: George Krambousanos]

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This win gave South Hobart a 4-point lead over second-placed Glenorchy Knights, who were idle this weekend.

Only good goalkeeping by Eagles’ Nathan Pitchford kept the score down in the first half as South pounded the visitors’ goal.

There was action aplenty both on and off the pitch.

On the pitch, South Hobart goalkeeper Sam Kruijver put two of his own team-mates out of action at various times. In the first half, he kneed centre-back Matthew Brown in the ribs while going for a high ball, but Brown was able to continue after treatment, although he was replaced after an hour by David Abbott.

In the second half, Kruijver laid out team-mate Daniel Brown, but he was able to play on after treatment and saw out the match.

There were also some crunching tackles that resulted in yellow cards for Eagles’ Andrew Clark and Shane Kent. Ben Whitehall and Alex Leszczynski were also cautioned.

South striker Kostas Kanakaris came in for some particularly brutal treatment and had stud marks on his back and side to show for it.

There was much work for South’s physio, Natsuki Futumura, to do.

South Hobart were not averse to some heavy physical treatment of their opponents, either, but their complement of players emerged unblemished.

Off the pitch, referee Mr Collins had to lecture Eagles coach, George Krambousanos, while Eagles manager Peter Wass was expelled from the bench and banished to the stands.

Eagles began the match with a flurry and Jamie Vernon almost scored in the opening minute when he managed to shoot by wrapping his leg around the torso of Daniel Brown. The effort was blocked and Kruijver gained possession and sent South into attack through Shae Hickey.

Hickey raced down the left wing and cut inside before shooting. Pitchford could only parry and Kanakaris, following up, scored.

Eagles were level in the 8th minute. The brave and elusive Adam McKeown beat Kruijver to Alex Leszczynski’s lob and fired past the keeper for his seventh goal of the season to make it 1-1. It was only the third goal that South have conceded, the other two coming against Taroona and Tilford Zebras.

South were awarded a penalty in the 25th minute when Mark Page leaned all over Jonathon Lo and eventually brought him down. Kanakaris slotted home the spot-kick, sending Pitchford the wrong way.

The goal of the match, and one of the best of the season so far, came in the 31st minute. Kanakaris’s corner from the left was met at the far corner of the box by Hickey, who smashed an unstoppable first-time volley with his right foot past a helpless Pitchford to give South a 3-1 lead

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Krambousanos rang the changes at the break and replaced Vernon and Steve Louden with Shane Kent and Simon Strang.

Eagles managed to keep South scoreless in the second half, but they could not find a goal either and it was South who collected a valuable three points.

The loss dropped Eagles a place to sixth on the ladder.

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· South Hobart coach, Ken Morton, said:

“I thought we had enough chances in the first half to put the game to bed.

“Pitchford was outstanding and made some big saves, and he made another big save near the end when we could have gone 4-1 up.

“In the second half, they came at us. They knocked a lot of long balls and put us under pressure, and they battled and scrapped for everything and made a good game of it.

“As far as we’re concerned, it was a good result.”

· New Town Eagles coach, George Krambousanos, said:

“I’m not going to say much about decision making by certain people, but take that penalty away and I think the game is on.

“If a team is going to beat them this year, I think it’ll be us. I really do.

“In the second half, they didn’t score. That’s when they explode sometimes and score three or four goals.

“We didn’t sit back. We attacked. I threw three up the front there for the last 15 minutes.

“I’m proud of my boys and I think Kenny is proud of his boys, too, and well done to him.”