South Hobart extended their NPL TAS winning streak to 4 games with a 3-2 win over Kingborough. A 76th minute Jack Turner goal was all that separated the two sides as the final whistle blew, in what was an entertaining contest under lights.

The game began with South holding the majority of possession. The Lions appeared happy to sit in their back third, allowing the men in red to play the ball with next to no pressure throughout the centre of the park. However, this tactic almost unravelled in the 7th minute, when a Loic Feral diagonal ball found Gorrie on the wing. Gorrie then played a great ball into the box that found Jack Turner, however the flag was up for offside.

The first half continued along the same path, with Walter and Gorrie combining well for a dangerous one-two on the right hand side and South continuing to attack. Yet, despite holding the minority of possession, Kingborough pounced, with the ever present Timothy Baker finding Christopher Downes who put the Lions one goal up, 23 minutes in.

With no fewer than three slices of cheese being handed out within 10 minutes, Kingborough had worked there way into the game. After sitting back for the majority of the half the Lions finished strong, with Baker providing two great opportunities for the home side. As the teams went into the sheds, it was Kingborough leading 1-0, with a big second half on the cards.

The second half began with South Hobart showing intent, and in the 47th minute the game was all square, with an Alex Walter run seeing Nick Morton hit the ball into the back of the net. This early half onslaught continued with Daniel Brown heading a Nick Morton cross into the back of the net, seeing South go up 2-1 in the 52nd minute.

The game continued to deliver excitement, with James Hall playing the ball to Baker in the 63rd minute. Baker was extremely unlucky not to score, with his initial shot hitting the post before the follow up hit the side netting, sending the home fans into a premature goal celebration. However, it wasn’t long before the fans found themselves celebrating for real, when Conor Bastock was bought down in the box in the 70th minute. This challenge saw referee point to the spot, with Danny Cowen stepping up to convert the penalty, bringing the scores to 2 all.

With the scores locked at two all it wasn’t long before South took back the lead, when a 76th minute Conor Schmidt cross found Jack Turner, who scored to put South 3-2 up. However, the Lions heads did not drop, and the home side continued to push for the equaliser in a real show of character. The roles of the game as seen in the first half were reversed, with South the team now sitting back and allowing the Lions to hold the ball.

When Kingborough’s Jacob Calvert won a freekick through good use of his body and three corners followed it appeared the Lions were on the prowl. Then, in the 86th minute, a Christopher Downes’ header went just wide, with the Lions throwing their all at the game. This consistent attack was almost punished in the 88th minute, with Renato De Vecchi Marins attacking well and Mitchell Stalker being forced to make two great saves. However, the scores remained the same, with South Hobart running out 3-2 winners.

Speaking after the game South Hobart coach Ken Morton said it was a hard earned three points. Outlining the fact that his side held a lot of early possession without hurting the Lions defence.

Meanwhile, Kingborough coach Mark Broadbent spoke of the hard work off the pitch that helped his team this week, explaining that through the study of footage his side planned to absorb pressure in the first half, which proved to be successful.

This game was an excellent display of Tasmanian Football, with a large number of fans in attendance and a night that is a credit to the hard work of the Kingborough Lions Football Club.

The Lions now have a week off, before taking on Olympia in what is looking to be a fantastic game in round 10 of the NPL TAS. Whilst South Hobart’s attention now moves to Devonport and the Lakoseljac Cup Final, as they look to reach the FFA Cup round of 32 and take out the Statewide Cup crown.