Strikers brace for a triple whammy

THE Devonport Strikers face two crucial NPL Tas matches and an away FFA Cup fixture over the coming week, but the club will not prioritise one competition over the other.

The Strikers (first, 38 points) take on the Hobart Zebras (third, 32 points) at Valley Road tomorrow and South Hobart (fourth, 32 points) next Sunday, sandwiched by an FFA Cup Round of 32 match against Northcote City in Victoria on Tuesday.

Devonport has a five-point gap over second-placed Launceston City with five games to play in the league, and captain Brayden Mann is under no illusions as to how important the next three matches will be.

“It’s a huge week for the club,” Mann said. “If we could come out of it with three wins it would be unbelievable for the club and ourselves as well, but we have just got to keep ticking them off and it starts with Zebras on Saturday.

“We know they’re a good team, we know they’re going to be coming and trying to fight for everything because their season relies on this.”

Mann said tomorrow’s match is “just as big as the game in the FFA Cup for us”.

“There’s no preferences, no priorities, when it comes to the FFA Cup or the league, we just want to win games of football and we know if we do that there is going to be success after it,” he said.

The Zebras have already beaten the Strikers at Valley Road this season, 2-1 in Round 3, while the two sides fought out a 1-1 draw at KGV in Round 10.

Zebras coach Gabriel Markaj called tomorrow’s match a “must-win” game.

“If we win up there everything is opened up,” he said.

Both clubs have a full squad to pick from.

In other matches, the Kingborough Lions (seventh, 12 points) host the Olympia Warriors (fifth, 20 points) at Lightwood Park tomorrow.

Launceston will be looking to keep the pressure on the Strikers when they meet the Northern Rangers (sixth, 14 points) at Buckby Land Rover Park tomorrow.

And South Hobart takes on bottom side Clarence United (two points) at Wentworth Park on Sunday.