Slow-starting Strikers keen to wrap up title before the final round
DEVONPORT Strikers are tantalisingly close to a fourth-straight NPL Tasmania title and have the opportunity to seal the deal with a win over secondplaced Glenorchy Knights on Saturday.
While a Strikers win at KGV will send the title up to Devonport yet again, a draw or a Knights victory will see the race go down to the final round.
The Knights are three points off the top of the table with the opportunity to go equal-first on Saturday.
Glenorchy Knights coach James Sherman said he believes this may be the biggest game of the season for his side, but insists it is not feeling the pressure.
“We had that (Lakoseljac) Cup final earlier in the season and I’d say this is just about on par,’’ Sherman said. “We have no pressure on us.
“We really do get to go at them and play with a lot of freedom but, at the same time, we can’t afford to make too many errors.”
Devonport Strikers had a slow start to the season but a 15-game unbeaten streak has seen them claim 41 of a possible 45 points on the way to first place.
With nine clean sheets over that period, goalkeeper Nathan Pitchford has played a significant part in the Strikers’ rise to the top and he said it is their intention to wrap the title up with a game to go.
“We obviously started off a little behind this year and credit to (the Knights), they came out of the blocks really hard,” Pitchford said.
“It’s been a great battle. They recruited really well in the off-season and they’ve put together a team that’s performing really well.”
Should the Strikers drop points on Saturday, they will require a win at Lightwood Park next week to claim the title.
“I’ve personally had some really, really good and really, really bad experiences down at Lightwood Park so it’s a tough place to go and take points,” Pitchford said.
“We’d rather wrap it up this weekend, that’s for sure.”
In other fixtures, South Hobart faces Riverside Olympic at Darcy Street and Clarence Zebras host Launceston City. Kingborough Lions welcome Olympia Warriors to Lightwood Park.
Devonport's Nathan Pitchford has been almost impossible to pass.