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(NPL Tasmania, Wednesday, 4 May 2022)
Kingborough Lions United 5 (Vilar 16, 82, Mies 29, Kemp 87, 89)
Clarence Zebras 0
HT: 2-0 Att: 60 Ref: J Hamilton
Kingborough Lions United: Gillam - D Taylor, G Downes, Prince, Douce - Kemp. A Taylor (Mundy 63), A Hess - Vilar, Mies (M Hess 84), McKeown (Kantzos 80) [Subs not used: Ellis, Hall)
Clarence Zebras: Dyson - Ebini (Hatcher 67), Cook (Burt 46), Burgess, Boscoe - Miley (Walsh 82), Baumgartner, Hills - Pace (Ackerley 82), Dillon, Tooze [Sub not used: Graver]
It was pleasing to watch a night game again under decent floodlights.
This league match had been postponed in round 3 because of Covid.
The Lions won 5-0 at a comfortable lope and never really had to extend themselves to a sprint to bring down the Zebras.
Clarence Zebras were without the injured Josh Mathie, while captain Ryan Cook had to be replaced at half-time. Early in the game, he asked the referee if he could go for treatment. He returned to the fray but lasted only until half-time.
Dwayne Walsh made a welcome return late in the game for Zebras after many months out. He has been working his way back to fitness in the lower leagues after being injured at the end of last season. He should provide some much-needed firepower once he is back to full fitness and settles back into the line-up.
Riley Dillon is being asked to do far too much and he seems to have lost his goalscoring knack.
Dillon, Sam Tooze and Matt Pace seem to be on different wavelengths and the Clarence Zebras attack is not having much success at all.
The defence is also at sixes and sevens far too often and are easily penetrated. Goalkeeper Matt Dyson is certainly agile, but he is being forced to pull off spectacular saves as the defence in front of him crumbles. The chances are eventually going to go in, and that proved the case last weekend against South Hobart and in this game against the Lions.
Kingborough were more mobile, physically dominant and much too quick for the visitors.
Import Ramiro Vilar opened the scoring for Kingborough in the 16th minute after a headed flick-on put him through.
Dyson saved superbly from Noah Mies midway through the first half to keep the visitors in the game, but the Lions were definitely sharpening their claws for the impending kill.
Mies shot across the face of goal when he should probably have scored, but he made amends in the 29th minute, hitting home the rebound after the ball came back into play off the crossbar.
Clarence Zebras seemed to have weathered the storm and contained Kingboroug for most of the second half. One gained the impression that if the visitors could pull a goal back it would have been game on.
Clarence Zebras were unable to fashion any chances, though, as passes went astray and attacking runs were snuffed out and came to nought.
With Clarence Zebras clearly tiring and having used all their outfield substitutes, the Lions went in for the kill and three goals in 8 minutes in the closing stages of the game brought down the prey.
Vilar made it 3-0 in the 83nd minute and Kobe Kemp struck twice in the final 3 minutes to make it 5-0.
The 3 points moved Kingborough up to second on the standings because of a slightly better goal-difference over Glenorchy Knights, who dropped to third.
It seems that there may be life in this pride of lions yet. They have scored 14 goals and conceded just 2 in their past three games. That’s certainly top-four form.
Photo: Kingborough's Greg Downes was injured early in the match but was able to continue after treatment. [PlessPix]
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