Photo credit Tanner Coad
It was a cagey affair but English import Jack Ryan’s brace secured all 3 points for the Olympia Warriors at Warrior Park over a brave Glenorchy Knights with the game finishing 2-1 at the final whistle.
The game started with a horrible error in the Warriors backline. A backward pass from Jonathon Ladic went wayward and Declan Brown for Knights pounced, skipped around the keeper and slotted it home for the first of the night in the 4th minute.
Photo credit Tanner Coad.
Right before the break, after much pressure from the home side, Olympia found an equaliser in the 44th minute when a looping cross from Bay Kurtz found target man Jack Ryan in the box, he chested it down and banged it past keeper Lachlan Hart, making the score 1-1 heading into the half time break.
In the second half a bouncing ball went past 3 Knights defenders but that man Jack Ryan was there to pick up the pieces, volleys it on the full and nailed it into the bottom left for the eventual winning goal! Bloody good hit too.
Olympia did however miss a huge chance to put the game to bed shortly after when a clearance went wrong for the Knights, Mark Ortmann had all the time in the world to header it home but his header comes off the post!
Photo credit Jayden Clark
Photo Credit Tanner Coad
Fair play to the Knights for putting up a good fight tonight with a understrength XI but it was Olympia’s quality that came when they needed it too.
Photo credit Jayden Clark
After the game Warriors Rob Clarke praised his sides efforts ” We showed good character tonight, haven’t shown too much of it lately, we have had hard battles against Knights every game this season, not their strongest XI either, very happy to get the result”.
Glenorchy Knights Manager James Sherman expressed his disappointment after a narrow loss. ” We can walk off the pitch feeling a little unlucky, created some decent chances throughout the game, weren’t good enough in the 18 yard box, but credit to the keeper for making some good saves tonight”
That win sends Olympia to the top of the table but it could be a short stay as Devonport Strikers will be playing away at Launceston City tomorrow, which is always a feisty encounter! A Strikers win would send them back to 1st place while a loss would ensure Warriors fans can enjoy leading the pack for another week.
