South Hobart well on course for title

South Hobart continued on their merry way to the Forestry Tasmania Southern Premier League title on Saturday with a 5-1 win over fourth-placed Clarence United at South Hobart.

The win kept them 13 points ahead of second-placed Tilford Zebras, who beat sixth-placed New Town Eagles 4-2 at home at KGV Park on Saturday night.

Glenorchy Knights ended a run of seven games without a win when they downed bottom-side Olympia Warriors 2-1 at KGV Park on Friday evening.

Kingborough Lions United moved up one place and back into fourth position with a 1-0 home win over second-last Taroona at Lightwood Park on Saturday.

South Hobart appeared to be playing in gum boots in the first half against Clarence. They had no mobility and their passing was sloppy, which played into the hands of a Clarence side that still has vivid memories of beating South Hobart last season to collect both the State premiership and the Milan Lakoseljac Memorial Trophy.

South Hobart’s lethargy was punished after only two minutes when central defender Ben Parker headed home Sam McIntyre’s free-kick from deep on the right. How South Hobart allowed Parker an easy header from inside the 6-yard box is a mystery as they have the best defence in the competition.

Ben Hamlett should have made it 2-0 in the 14th minute. David Hoppitt beat Jim Pennicott on the left and sent over a perfect cross, but Hamlett fired over the bar from close range when it would surely have been easier to score.

South’s only chances in the first half came in the 19th minute when Bart Beecroft sent in a tame shot that Cameron Sweeney easily held, and on the stroke of half-time when Shae Hickey got on to the end of a deep cross from the left by Liam Scott only to skim the bar with a first-time volley.

South Hobart were a side transformed in the second half. Suddenly, they found space and used the width of the park to perfection, while their passing finally began to click. They became the well-oiled machine that their fans were used to seeing.

Clarence survived miraculously in the 50th minute following a corner by Hickey. There was confusion in the Clarence defence and Jim Pennicott and Tom Roach both had goal-bound shots blocked on the line before the tension was released when Daniel Brown blazed wildly over the bar.

The introduction of Kostas Kanakaris in place of youngster Andy Brennan in the 57th minute turned the tide in South’s favour. Hickey suddenly found space on the left and Kanakaris’s mobility and speed spelled curtains for the visitors.

Jonathon Lo equalised on the hour after Hickey’s left-wing cross and Hugh Ludford’s downward header.

Hickey was being given acres of space on the left and it was all he needed to swing the game in his side’s favour. In the 66th minute, a long throw-in from the left by Brown was turned in by Kanakaris, while three minutes later, Hickey’s left-wing cross enabled Lo to set up Kanakaris for his second and South’s third.

Roach flashed a shot just wide in the 72nd minute, while in the 80th minute, he made it 4-1 from Lo’s pass after Kanakaris had initiated an attack down the right.

Sweeney denied Kanakaris with his feet after Roach had put the striker through in the 83rd minute.

Five minutes from the end, Greg Downes came on as a substitute and scored with his first touch from a free-kick. He lifted the ball over the wall and Sweeney could only turn it against a post and then watch as the ball dribbled over the line.

Clarence had a sting in their tail, however, and Mattias Toghill smashed a long-range effort against Sam Kruijver’s left-hand upright in the 88th minute, while seconds later, Toghill fed Sam Reibel through the middle, but the youngster’s tame shot was blocked with his feet by Kruijver as he fell backwards.

Olympia took the lead against Glenorchy Knights through Alex Nandan in the 21st minute after a mix-up at the back between Anthony Grundy and keeper Ben Peter.

It took Knights only two minutes to draw level. Hugh Richardson fouled Corey Smith and Smith’s free-kick was not cleared properly by the Olympia defence. The ball fell to Jade Clay, whose shot was deflected to Amadu Koroma, and the youngster slotted the ball past Dmitri Nester and inside the far post.

Nester was in excellent form and denied the Knights on several occasions in the second half, but he was helpless in the 69th minute when Smith gained possession just outside the box and lobbed the ball over the keeper for the winner.

A 79th minute goal by Tim Polmear gave Kingborough Lions United their win over Taroona.

New Town Eagles took the lead against Zebras midway through the first half when Jason Voss could only parry Blayne Hudson’s free-kick and Jacob Clamp rifled home the loose ball.

Zebras were almost level in stoppage time at the end of the first half, but Paul Cairns’s powerful shot came back off the bar and hit goalkeeper Nathan Pitchford on the back before rolling wide.

In the closing seconds of the half, Henry Fagg headed the equaliser from Jonathon Ladic’s lob.

Ricky Self made it 2-1 for Zebras with a stunning volley from the left of the box in the 53rd minute, while Ben Crosswell made it 3-1 in the 78th minute after running on to Ladic’s long clearance and rounding Pitchford.

Adam McKeown pulled a goal back for Eagles in the 92nd minute after Andrew Clark’s pass, but Jayden Welch added the Zebras’ fourth seconds later when Ladic’s precise pass put him through the defence.