1997 LAUNCESTON K.O CUP Final
DOBWALLS 2-1 LAUNCESTON
Terry Craze, Mark Woodman............Gary Shirley
Excellent defensive performance seals win number four
Dobwalls won the Launceston Cup for the fourth time in their history thanks to a solid defensive performance.
Deprived of several key players through injury, Dobwalls soon came under pressure from a young Launceston side. However after only 10 minutes Dobwalls took the lead when a pass from Andy Hill beat the offside trap, leaving Terry Craze to take the ball on and coolly place his shot, wide of the advancing 'keeper and into an empty net.
Dobwalls went further ahead after 22 minutes when Launceston failed to clear their lines and the ball fell to Mark Woodman who impressively made no mistake, shooting home from the edge of the box. Launceston pulled a goal back just before half time when Gary Shirley scored from close range following a corner.
Launceston pressed hard for virtually all the second half but the Dobwalls back four, as usual, stood the pressure well. Mark Fielder was dominant in the air while Andy Hill gave another 120 per cent performance. Damien Powell, who has improved throughout the season and experienced John Arnold, provided able support.
On the two occasions Launceston did manage to get shots on target, Brian Guard pulled off fine saves. Although not an impressive performance from Dobwalls, the team did enough to deny Launceston and allow Andy Hill to raise the cup at the end of the evening.