Second-half comeback by Lions not enough to snatch victory from South Hobart's jaws

Photo:  South Hobart's Sam Berezansky shoots.  Kingborough's American goalkeeper Kenneth Perkinson deflected the ball wide for a corner.  Berezansky also shot narrowly wide on another occasion. [PlessPix]

(NPL Tasmania, South Hobart Oval, Sunday, 19 May 2019)

South Hobart 4 (Hamlett 9, Morton 345, Lakoseljac 39, Van Doorne 48)

Kingborough Lions United 2 (Allan 57, Cowen 85)

HT:  3-0   Att:  120   Ref:  M Piesse

South Hobart:  K Brown  -  Gorrie, Bowman, Thomas, Herweynen  -  Morton, Feral, Larby  -  Van Doorne, Hamlett, Lakoseljac  (Subs:  Berezansky, Hallam, Ludford, Tooze, Wright)

Kingborough Lions United:  Perkinson  -  Smithies-Sharples, Cuthbertson, Schuth, Zammit  -  Steele, Downes, Gutierrez Jr, Douce  -  Cowen, Allan  (Subs:  Bostock, Davis, Muir, Sammut, Stalker)

Photo:  A LAN Chile Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flight over Hobart at 38,000 feet [PlessPix]

Photo:  South Hobart;s Kasper Hallam maintains a cool head as he controls the ball while surrounded by three Kingborough players [PlessPix]

The vapour trail over South Hobart Oval before kick-off was not part of South Hobart coach Ken Morton’s 72nd birthday celebrations.

It was created by a LAN Chile Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its way from Melbourne to Santiago.  It was just a regular flight, and I doubt that a jet that size would be manoeuvrable enough to write ‘Happy Birthday’ in the sky.

It was then down to business on the pitch, which is where Morton was able to celebrate a 4-2 win which took his side to second place (on goal-difference) on the NPL Tasmania standings.  It was his 106th win in 137 NPL games as a coach.

The first half was all South Hobart.  For the opening half-hour, play was mostly confined to Kingborough’s half of the field.  It was an 11 v 10 game in one half of the pitch, which would make an excellent training routine.

Photo:  South Hobart's Sam Tooze shields the ball from Kingborough's Nick Cuthbertson [PlessPix]

South Hobart took an early lead when, in the 9^th minute, Bradley Lakoseljac crossed the ball low from the left and Ben Hamlett nipped in to fire past Kenneth Perkinson.

Nick Morton made it 2-0 in the 34^th minute when he rifled home Adam Gorrie’s cross from the left.

Lakoseljec headed home powerfully from Iskander Van Doorne’s left-wing cross in the 39^th minute to make it 3-0 for the home side at the interval.

When Van Doorne bent a superb low shot just inside the left-hand post 4 minutes after the resumption to make it 4-0, Kingborough’s goose seemed cooked.

Photo:  Kingborough's Keenan Douce (left) pressures former team-mate and now South Hobart defender Tobias Herweynen [PlessPix]

But, South Hobart again showed their defensive frailty as the Lions hit back with two simple and easy goals before the end.

It could have been closer, too.  They also hit the woodwork, while only a last-ditch tackle by Jack Bowman denied Horatio Gutierrez Jr a goal after he’d done the hard work and actually rounded keeper Kieran Brown.

Brayton Allan pulled the first goal back in the 57^th minute following a corner, which yet again demonstrated South Hobart’s vulnerability at set-pieces.

It was a little bit tense when Kingborough’s American import Cameron Steele set up Danny Cowen, who made it 4-2 with 5 minutes remaining, but one has to wonder what goalkeeper Kieran Brown was thinking when he gave the ball to Steele.

South Hobart stood firm, however, and collected the three points and moved to with 5 points of leaders Devonport City.

Photo:  Kingborough's Joel Schuth tackles South Hobart's Iskander Van Doorne [PlessPix]

South Hobart coach, Ken Morton, said:

“A little bit disappointed [in the second half], but credit to them.  They gambled a bit and pressed higher up the field and maybe that’s the time when you don’t play out and go a bit longer and turn them around and then they’ve got to drop again.

“Maybe a little bit disappointed in the way we managed the second half, but a 4-2 win is a good result for us, especially with the young side we had out.

“I take a lot from the first half.  I thought we played some super football and moved the ball around well.  There was a lot of interchange passing moves and, certainly down the right flank, it was a treat to watch.

“We’ll take a lot of positives from the game.”

Photo:  South Hobart's Ben Hamlett tries to get away from Kingorough's Joel Schuth [PlessPix]

Kingborough Lions United’s interim coach, Cameron Ellis, said:

“First half, very disappointed, and the boys knew that.  We had a chat in the rooms at half-time and the structure we set up was not what we had in the first half and, clearly, everything we did in the second half was exactly what we’d asked for.

“If I take a positive from the game, it was probably the result of the second half.  We created more chances and hit the post.  Horatio [Gutierrez Jr] rounded the keeper and it was a fantastic last-ditch tackled from Bowman at the end [that prevented a goal].  That would have made it 4-3.

“But, the boys will learn from what they did wrong in the first half.  The positive I see is that standard that we set in the second half.”

Photo:  South Hobart's Nick Morton squeezes past Kingborough's Chris Downes and Noah Smithies-Sharples [PlessPix] 

Photo:  South Hobart's Nick Morton lies injured after a tackle from behind by Chris Downes [PlessPix]

Photo:  Qantas flight 63, Sydney to Johannesburg in South Africa, passing over Hobart at 30,000 feet.  It's a Boeing 747-438 (ER), registration VH-OEH.  Not many people realise that numerous international flights pass over Hobart. [PlessPix]