South Hobart clear at top

JULIUS ROSS

May 10, 2010 12:01am

SOUTH Hobart completed a home and away double over the Kingborough Lions yesterday with a 4-1 win at Lightwood Park.

The win placed South Hobart eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Lions were a thorn in the side of South's title hopes in 2009, holding the eventual champions to a 0-0 draw away and humiliating them 3-0 at the den, but this season South have posted two wins from two over Geoff Freeman's side.

The home side took the lead against the run of play 25 minutes in when defender Andrew Davies powered home from six metres following Marcello Marchioli's free kick.

South replied three minutes later, when Tom Roach planted a diving header in the net from Josh Heerey's cross.

Lions had a chance to take the ascendancy once more, but an unmarked Greg Freeman headed Tom McDonald's free kick wide when he should have hit the target.

Lions were made to pay for the costly miss as South's Shae Hickey added a second on 36 minutes, side-footing Roach's pass into the Lions net, before Greg Downes gave the visitors a two-goal cushion a minute before half-time.

Downes supplied the fourth and final South goal on 68 minutes, crossing to Jonathan Lo who squeezed a header past Lions keeper David Leamey.

South has amounted a seemingly unassailable eight point lead, but South coach Ken Morton said the job was far from finished: "We'll take it a game at a time. If we get complacent now that's when we'll lose it."

In the reserves, South Hobart defeated Lions 4-0.

In Division One, Hobart United beat Northern Suburbs DOSA 6-2, while Uni upset Metro 3-0.
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2010/05/10/145261_soccer.html