Taroona FC v. Metro FC, Kelvedon Park, 23/06/12

I promised myself when I came that I'd get to see a game at Kelvedon Park and also get to see some non-Premier League games. It's taken me a while (with only one weekend to go) but I will get there this afternoon for the Division 1 clash between Taroona and Metro, which starts at 2.30.

Some History

TFC

There's a fascinating history here. On the website it seems to say two slightly different things. The Taroona Football Club Summary claims

Founded: 1978

• The first Taroona club was Taroona Ajax (1972) who won Div 1 in 1973, gaining promotion to the Premier League for 1974.

• They were relegated in 1974 and the club disbanded.

• Lindisfarne St Mirren merged with Taroona Junior Club to form the current Taroona Football Club in 1978.

The History column claims

Taroona was founded in 1972 out of the disbanded Taroona Ajax Soccer Club and immediately made an impact on southern soccer circles by winning the Metrolpolitan League Division Two. The club gained promotion, but due to dramatic personnel changes they were relegated the following year and even failed to field a senior side in the 1976 and 1977 seasons, entering only junior sides.

Nonetheless I get a sense of the club's founding as a Dutch Club, a momentary collapse and a brief period when it played under the banner of Taroona St Mirren.

MFC

Metro Claremont was founded in 1941. It isthe second oldest surviving club in Tasmania. Its formation came aboutthrough the hard work of Cyril Parks, Alec Stuart and Hugh Blackburn,dedicated followers of the British Code and keen to organise a side inthe New Town Metropolitan area. The name has no ties with the HobartMetro bus service as some onlookers outside the game may think.Many Metro players in the early days were former students of the HobartTechnical College, New Town (nowadays New Town High School).
Adapted from Chris Hudson's A Century Of Soccer 1898-1998 A Tasmanian History

Metro is a club with a great history that probably considers itself as having come down from greater heights. As a Sunderland and South Melbourne supporter, I have an inkling of just how they feel. (For those who think lower mid-table in the EPL is not really all that low have a look at this, Sunderland's sixth championship in less than 50 years. In 1936!)

Taroona is coming off two losses and Metro hasn't picked up a point since April.

Walter Pless has this preview on his web site:

Fifth-placed Taroona host sixth-ranked metro at Kelvedon Park at 2.30pm tomorrow in what should be a fiercely contested game.

Andrew Tye, the Taroona coach, is a former Metro player. 

“Our side to meet Metro this week has undergone a number of changes for varying reasons including availability and injury,” said Tye. 

“Rob Hortle comes in to the side for his first start of the year as a result of an injury to John Burridge, while Hugo Luttmer, Gary Hamilton and Darragh Carey also return.
“Hugo’s inclusion bumps the average age of our side up to 22, which shows that the team is still relatively inexperienced, but with youth comes energy, enthusiasm and an eternal optimism. 

“Whilst our last couple of weeks have been poor, the team has trained well and are a talented enough group that I feel 90 minutes of consistent football is just around the corner. 

“Metro are a team that will always provide a stern contest, as they showed in our last match, where they came from behind to beat us. 

“They have players that can hurt you and are particularly strong in the air. We will have to be at our very best to beat them.”

I'm looking forward to going to my second favourite ground in Hobart for the game today. Blogging from about 1.45.

______________________


Here at 1.40. Taroona ressies up 1-0.

See what I mean? Excuse thumbs!

Metro coach, George Krambousanos - a work in progress?

Reverves game. 1-0. Full time.

John Meehan. Taroona president.

Just heard a very relaxed rendering of the taroona victory song. Based on horto magiko!! . . .  No. Actually the south Melbourne footy club song. 'Thunder from the sky etc.'

Glenorchy knights still with the best song in Hobart!

2.30. Underway on time. Taroona attacking the city end.

2.32. Taroona corner left. Comes to nothing. Taroona attack right. Out for gk.

2.33. Metro attack left. Keeper out to clear.

2.34. Taroona corner left. Cleared.

2.35. Metro counter. 19 shoots from left across keeper out for goal kick.

2.37 Taroona corner left. Through to right wing. Crossed back. Shot over. Goal kick fired back. Another goal kick.

2.38. Metro counter. Mix of poor and strong defending. Cleared and comes back to keeper.

2.40. Metro kick midfield. Comes to nothing.

2.41. Taroona attack right. Cleared for throw.

2.42. Taroona attack down middle. Through ball. Goal. 1-0.

2.44. Taroona Attack. Ballooned shot from left well over. Cross better option.

Taroona dominant and deserve lead.

2.45. Metro attack down left. Forward beats. Shoots across face of goal. Sustained period of attack for Metro.

2.46. Taroona break. Goal kick. Poor kick. Ball returned. Goal. Taroona 2-0.

Taroona left winger no 8 looking useful and threatening.

2.50 Taroona attack. Accidental handball. Seen them given before. Could've been a pen and game over.

2.51. Metro attack down left. Weak shot and keeper mishandles into goal. OG. 2-1. Game on again.

2.52. Metro attacks again. Defensive mix up. Nearly another.

Good end to end game now. There's a few goals left in this game.

2.56. Taroona free kick on right. Crossed in. Keeper gathers.

2.57. Metro through ball too hard. Keeper gathers.

I know I should be focused on the game but that's an amazing sky!

I was sitting on that. A good shot from Metro player. Just misses and destroys chair.

3.03. Metro midfield starting to get some possession but not giving good final ball.

3.04. Ordinary offside against Metro.

Peanut gallery up on hill. Lots of banter!

3.07. Taroona cross from right. Too long. Behind for goal kick.

3.08. Metro free kick. 25 out. Into wall. Cleared long.

3.10. Good work by Taroona down left. Puts wide when should have scored.

3.11. Metro attack left. Shot identical to goal. Keeper gathers this time.

3.12. Taroona build down left. Sustained attack. Comes to nothing.

3.14. Taroona cross from right. Keeper gathers. Metro long ball out for goal kick.

Good moment when the ref suggests two players should get off the field and take up boxing instead.

3.15. Half time. Gary Hamilton scored both of Taroona's goals. Good energetic football. Some technical deficiencies compared to premier but pretty wholehearted stuff.

3.30. 2nd half. Metro free kick 40 out. Onto Metro head. Caught by keeper.

3.32. Yellow to Taroon.

3.33. Yellow to Metro 4.

Pretty willing so far without either side settling.

3.36. Metro long ball. Striker air swing.

3.37. Taroona counter. Possession in dangerous territory. Free kick relieves pressure.

3.38. Taroona cross from left. Keeper gathers. Didn't repay the own goal favor.

3.39. Getting cold now.

The two benches.

3.41 Good Taroona counter. Pen appeals. Goal kick.

3.42. Metro counter. Close offside call with striker on goal.

3.43. Metro free kick. Nodded on. Keeper saves high.

3.45. Bustling run by Taroona 10. Fouled 25 out. Kick just over.

3.48. Taroona no 10 gets space down right. Has trouble crossing. Seems hampered by injury.

3.50. Period of Taroona pressure. Cleared.

Game is a bit formless at the moment. A lot of undirected overhit balls.

3.55. Taroona corner right. Too long behind for goal kick.

There's a older silver- haired Geordie playing for m. Everything he does drips with residual quality. He'll deliver a killer ball soon.

3.59. Fk to m. 30 out. Great save by keeper out for corner.

4.00. Equally good save other end. Ball coming back and keeper puts around his left post. Corner comes to nothing.

4.02. Disputed m offside. Kick long to keeper.

4.03. Taroona offside. And another.

4.04. Long throw. Keeper punches clear.

4.05. Good attack by Taroona 8. Put out by defence. Corner crossed. Header blocked. Cleared.

Series of free kicks to Metro. Metro looking likely.

4.09. Taroona break. Good save by Metro keeper. Another soft Metro free kick.

4.10. Great work from Taroona 8. Cross. Botched goal.

4.11. Taroona corner right. Cleared.

4.12. Good ball from Taroona left back 2 to no 8 down left.

4.13. Cross. Another botched goal.

4.14. Good work by Metro 20 on right.

4.14. Goal. Taroona break. Toby Dove rounds keeper and scores. 3-1.

4.16. Full time. 3-1. 

Probably a fair result. Even though Metro started to work better in midfield as the game went on, Taroona had the better chances and put three of them away. Metro keeper had a good game so it could have been worse.

And maybe this explains some of the poor ball control from time to time.