The Olympia Warriors have overcome a shaky start against last-placed Clarence United to claim a comfortable 4-1 win at Warrior Park.
Needing a win to keep the pressure on ladder leaders Devonport, the Warriors fell behind early thanks to a stunning goal from Clarence's Sam Randall. But goals from Jono Ladic and Jack Ryan stole the lead back just minutes later, and they proved far too strong as they ran away with the contest. Ryan finished with three goals and looked dangerous throughout, whilst Joffrey Nkoso and Jake Vandermey both hit the scoreboard in a strong showing.
That end result seemed a long way from certain two minutes in though, as Clarence took a shock early lead. A loose ball in their forward half fell to Sam Randall well outside the penalty area, and he unleashed a first-time shot that rocketed past the goalkeeper and into the top corner.
The underdogs may have struck first, but they weren't given much of a chance to celebrate as Olympia hit back just two minutes later. A cross from the left wasn't cleared by the Clarence defence, leaving the ball to bounce around the box before eventually landing with Jono Ladic. He hit the shot first time and thumped it past the Clarence 'keeper to level the scores.
Another two minutes passed and the game had its third goal, and it was the Warriors grabbing the lead and restoring normality. Ryan got the ball on the left of the area, turned and placed a shot into the far bottom corner to open his account for the night and give his side the upper hand just minutes after they had fallen behind.
With three goals in the first six minutes, both sides finally gave the crowd some time to relax as the torrid pace slowed slightly. After a promising start to the contest Clarence struggled to maintain their momentum as Olympia settled quickly and started to dominate the general play. Vandermey forced a pair of excellent saves from the Clarence 'keeper, while Ryan looked dangerous in the air and got his head to almost every ball into the area.
Clarence held on grimly for much of the half, but the floodgates opened again with less than ten minutes until the break. Nkoso was threatening with his speed and skill on the ball, and given space to run around halfway he took off toward goal. He was able to split two defenders, burn the rest for pace and slide a shot past the goalkeeper.
With the half time break looming and respite just seconds away, Clarence couldn't stop the Warriors from adding a fourth goal late. A through ball from Vandermey played Ryan in behind the defence, leaving him to run at the goalkeeper for a simple finish and his second goal. The whistle sounded moments after the restart to send the teams into half-time with a 4-1 scoreline, the Warriors well on top and Clarence needing to re-group during the break.
Whatever changes the visitors made to steady the ship didn't work, though, as they conceded again two minutes into the second half thanks to the ever-dangerous combination of Nkoso and Ryan. Using his pace to create space once again on the wing, Nkoso drove down the line before crossing low and hard to Ryan. With his back to the goal he brought it under control, turned cleanly and fired home from close range to complete his hat trick.
Olympia continued to control the possession and the tempo of the game, but Clarence didn't lose their endeavour and did create some chances. Lachlan Burt and Jeremy Price both found space to fire shots at goal, while Randall saw a cross fly just out of his reach in the area.
The class of the Warriors shone through in the end, though, as they withstood those threats and continued their clinical finishing at the other end. Vandermey hit the scoresheet with a thumping finish after some creative play from Ryan Cook, before Nkoso put on the finishing touches in stoppage time and slotted his second goal from a tight angle.
That was just about the last play of the game before the final whistle, leaving the Warriors to celebrate a 7-1 win that keeps their NPL TAS title hopes alive. They remain six points adrift of the Devonport Strikers, and will need plenty of other results to fall their way in the season's home stretch.