1It wasn't always pretty, but the Kingborough Lions have ended their season on a high with an entertaining 3-2 win over the Glenorchy Knights at Lightwood Park.
In wet and icy conditions more befitting of the middle of winter than early spring, the Lions took the lead inside 20 minutes through Jack Turner and never surrendered it in a gutsy display. Glenorchy fought back bravely and twice managed to draw to within a goal, but they couldn't land a killer blow in the crucial moments.
The rain held off for kickoff, but both teams still struggled to find their rhythm early. The Lions had the bulk of the attacking play through the first 15 minutes but struggled to create any real chances, while the Knights looked to play the ball long down the wings without much success.
Fittingly given the nature of the contest, it was a scrappy piece of play that saw the Lions open the scoring. After the ball pinballed from contest to contest on the wing, it finally fell to Keenan Douce who hit a first-time ball that looped over the defence and into the path of Turner. He had time to size up the shot and finish easily into the bottom corner, giving the hosts an early lead.
Both sides continued to fight and scrap in the middle of the park, with very little action to report at either end. When the action did pick up just before the half-hour mark, though, it did so in dramatic fashion, as both sides scored in a two-minute burst. The Lions struck first to double their lead as Noah Smithies-Sharples volleyed home a Chris Downes corner, before the Knights responded moments later through a close-range Alex Bellini finish.
Just as it seemed the contest might kick into second gear, the skies opened up and the rain set in to stifle any creative play. The Knights stole back some momentum and had plenty of possession in the lead-in to half time, but their reliance on crosses from wide areas meant they struggled to create shots on goal.
Half time gave the supporters braving the cold a chance to huddle inside, and the players likely did the same in the change rooms. The rain continued to fall when they returned for the restart, but both sides looked to have adjusted to the conditions as the standard of play lifted.
Substitute Alex Leszczynski looked instantly dangerous for the Knights, and he tested goalkeeper Jake Hayers with a stinging drive shortly after entering the game. At the other end the Lions threatened in the air, as they won 12 corners for the game and went close numerous times with delivery to towering defender Nick Cuthbertson in the middle.
The ball bounced from end to end as both sides saw plenty of chances, but a combination of wayward finishing, solid defending and tough conditions meant there were no further goals until the final ten minutes. It was yet another corner for the Lions that saw them double their advantage once more, as Knights 'keeper Lachlan Hart looked to cut out a cross floated to the back post. Under pressure from one attacker, a costly fumble saw the ball spill to Simon Vivarelli who poked it home from point-blank range.
Three minutes later Glenorchy continued their trend of responding quickly as they pulled another goal back from the penalty spot. Coach-turned-supersub James Sherman beat his man down the right and crossed into the middle to a teammate, who was then cut down from behind inside the area. Leszczynski stepped up and blasted the spot kick home to give the visitors a glimmer of hope.
Unfortunately for them it proved to be too little, too late, as the Lions hung on until the whistle and sealed a final win to take into the offseason. Both sides enjoyed a resurgence late in the season and will look to build on that foundation into next year.