Striker Brayden Mann says Tuesday night’s Wesfield FFA Cup clash is also for Tasmanian pride when Tuggeranong United meet his South Hobart United side in the Apple Isle.
After last week's stunning opening night of the Westfield FFA Cup round of 32, Mann cannot wait to show the country the best Tasmanian football has to offer.
“I’d love to score a few (goals) in the Cup but I just want to help the team win, do my bit and work hard, and hopefully we can win against Tuggeranong and keep doing the state proud.
“It’s going to be a massive occasion, not just for us but for football in the state,” Mann said.
“I think we’ve got a good chance and it would be great to progress to the next round but you’ve obviously got to get the job done, and being at home we fancy ourselves.”
Meanwhile, South Hobart coach Ken Morton believes his side’s experience in pressure-cooker games holds them in good stead for Tuesday night’s showdown with the side from the capital.
Morton last year saw his team feature in last year’s National Premier Leagues (NPL) finals, losing 2-0 to Sydney United 58 FC in the decider.
This was followed by the Lakoseljac Cup final on the Queen’s Birthday holiday earlier this year - which doubled as the match to decide Tasmania’s sole entrant in the Westfield FFA Cup - defeating Tilford Zebras 3-0.
Now they are preparing for another high stakes encounter in Tuesday night’s round of 32 clash against Capital Football outfit Tuggeranong United.
“We’re at home so when you’re at home you’ve got to give yourself a good chance. But it’s what happens on the night,” Morton said.
“I’m hoping the players won’t freeze – we’ve generally been quite strong when it has come to these big games and I’m sure we’ll go out and put on a performance worthy of being in the first round proper.
“We don’t get big games here very often…so for us to get games like we did last year against Campbelltown and Sydney United 58 FC (in the NPL finals series) was a great experience, and now with the FFA Cup it gives us a genuine chance of coming across an A-League team pretty early in the competition,” said Morton, now into his seventh year in charge of the club.
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Image courtesy of Football Federation Tasmania.
