Sub’s strike seals draw

A GOAL to substitute Samuel Berezansky with 13 minutes to play has salvaged a point for South Hobart in a dramatic 1-1 draw with the Kingborough Lions at KGV last night.

Berezansky’s equaliser came after Jack Turner — who started the season playing for South — fired Kingborough ahead midway through the first half.

South Hobart played the second half without key midfielder Nicholas Morton, who was stretchered off with a serious leg injury after contesting a loose ball with Lions keeper Kenneth Perkinson on the stroke of half-time. South remain third and the Lions remain sixth on the NPL Tasmania table with the draw heading into the final two rounds.

Turner fired the Lions ahead in the 27th minute with a goal from nowhere — the ball bobbled around in the South defensive box and made its way to him, and he finished coolly. South were nearly level two minutes later when Benjamin Hamlett beat the offside trap and stormed in on goal, but Lions keeper Kenneth Perkinson made a fine stop.

Perkinson made an even better save to keep Kingborough ahead 13 minutes later, pulling off a spectacular diving stop to claw out Nicholas Morton’s goal-bound header after a slick South build-up.

South coach Ken Morton received two yellow cards in quick succession for arguing with the referee and was sent from the dugout in the 66th minute, while on the field South pressed for a late equaliser. Berezansky conjured it in the 77th minute, meeting a low cross at the near post and finally beating Perkinson with a first-time finish.

Both teams could have scored a winner after Berezansky’s equaliser, but had to settle for a draw.