In a clutch round-three encounter, both NPL sides were looking to notch up opening victories in Hobart.

For 65 minutes until sought-after Irishman Kyle Kelly was substituted into the game just days from landing in Tasmania, City had seemed destined to send Clarence goalless for a third straight match on Sunday.

The visitors had got off to a near-perfect start when Andy Compagne scored in only the 11^th minute.

It was City’s first shot on goal after Dylan O’Connor cut the ball to inside the box for Compagne to go one up.

Not content to sit on the lead, coach Ben Brookfield opted to play three at the back throughout the first half in an attacking move to further pressure for a second.

But the mood changed after the interval from when Compagne first had to pull off a sublime save from the goal mouth when keeper David Smith came off his line.

Clarence had started to build up pressure, paying off when midfielder Nick Naden sunk a 67th-minute equaliser from repeat rebounds.

Just eight minutes later, Paul Bremner scored from close range to give the home side its first-time lead.

American Dylan Williams tried to orchestrate City’s last-ditch chances. His two audacious shots in two minutes, including a curling free kick, proving not enough.

A momentary lapse has cost Northern Rangers the chance to come back from three goals down to collect vital away points on Sunday to Olympia Warriors.

Both Tenzing Anderson and Liam Appleyard almost inspired the remarkable fightback amid their 4-2 loss.

Olympia’s Jakub Sklenar collected a double by the 26^th minute that included a back-heel strike and he added their third entering first-half injury time. 

Back in the dressing sheds, Rangers coach Lino Sciulli changed things up and it paid dividends in what proved a remarkable turnaround.

Harry Thannhauser had his shot deflected from a corner three minutes after half-time to bring the game to life.

The resulting pressure set up a long-range free kick for Anderson minutes later, whose cracking strike low and hard drew one back.

Appleyard would go on to capitalise off a Olympia defensive error on the edge of the box that trickled over the line to level despite keeper Jakob Cole’s late lunge.

But Rangers’ best efforts were dismissed just 90 seconds after drawing back 3-2 with 25 minutes to play.

Sklenar’s work down the right flank set up Gavin Hoy to push it inside the near post to restore the Olympia’s final two-goal advantage.

Both of the North’s two NPL clubs are now stuck in the bottom three, earning one point from three games.