A first half blitz from Launceston City fired them to a 3-1 win over Kingborough at a rain soaked Lightwood Park on Sunday afternoon. The Northerner’s took the lead within 90 seconds and didn’t look back as they raced out to a 3-0 lead by the half. The Lions fought back in the second half, but City were good value for a win that propels them into 6th spot on the table with 4 weeks remaining.

City exploded out of the blocks and had the lead within 90 seconds as Sheku Kamara spilt a Campbell shot into path of Noah Mies who tucked it home from close range.

It was a sign of things to come, as despite the inclement conditions, City produced some wonderful football. Passing the ball around the deck swiftly and denying their opponents the ball. The first 45 was all one way traffic as City picked the Lions defence apart.

Aaron Campebll was particularly lively, causing major problems from wide and linking well with Noah Mies who played the target man role to perfection and linked up superbly with the likes of Bartlett, Compagne and Williams.

Yet for all City’s dominance it could have been 1-1 on 24 minutes when Conor Bastock unlocked the City defence and squared a ball to Adam Harms whose shot was straight at Clark who made a fine save, but either side of him and it would have been a goal. It proved a costly miss, as City put their dominance on the scoreboard as they quickly got back on the offensive.

After Kamara thrice denied chances for City’s attackers who were generating shots nearly every time they went forward, it was Lachlan Clark who was the unlikely architect, starting a counter attack with a throw Tom Brady would be proud of. He launched it all the way into the Lions half on the full to pick out Mies who charged into the box, got round a defender, drawing the keeper out and squared it to Compagne who stroked it home.

For all their confident passing around the Lions area, it was counter attacking move again that sprung a third goal. Dylan Williams played a lovely pass into the middle for Nathan Bartlett who skipped past a defender and fired into the bottom corner to make it 3-0 at half time.

With a statistical edge of 13 shots to 1 at half time it had been 45 minutes of pure dominance from City. In response, Broadbent changed his formation at half time, and threw Ben Robinson up forward to try and turn things around.

Early on it didn’t seem to have changed much as City had the first pair of chances of the half and could have been 4-0 ahead when Brookfield was denied what looked classy goal when he was adjudged to have been offside.

The Lions were proving a much tougher proposition in the second half and they were offered a chance to get back into the game when Conor Bastock was brought down from behind in the box by Egan giving the referee no choice but to point to the spot.

Joel Schuth stepped up and powerfully converted the spot kick to cut the lead to 3-1 and offer some hope for the hosts. With renewed vigour they started to create a few more chances and Bastock and Lokoes had efforts from range that went narrowly wide.

Davis then hit the crossbar with a lobbed effort from distance that was within a coat of paint of making it 3-2 and giving City a nervous ending.

It wasn’t to be however as City saw out the contest without further damage and only a sharp save from Kamara denied Mies from making it 4-1 in stoppage time.

The final whistle went to see it end 3-1 and a deserved victory for City who now leap the Lions into sixth place, putting them in the box seat to claim the final qualification spot for the end of the season League Cup.