Soccer: Dismal night for the Kingz

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The Football Kingz can fall no further after being beaten 3-0 by Adelaide City at Hindmarsh Stadium last night.

With Wollongong beating South Melbourne 3-1, the Kingz are now propping up the NSL table.

The Kingz, with just a solitary win this season, never recovered from a 2-0 deficit after just 18 minutes and presented 11th-placed Adelaide with only their second victory of the season.

Again, there was the hint of something all-too-familiar about the blunders which led to the visitors' conceding two goals within three minutes.

The first came in the 16th minute when, from an attack which broke down, the home side countered quickly.

Alex Moreira sent Louis Brain clear. He broke wide and deep before angling a shot which gave stranded goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos no chance.

The Kingz defence were caught flat-footed a couple of minutes later. That was all Scott Tunbridge needed as he whipped home his fifth goal of the season.

The frustration spilled over to the Kingz midfield, with George Goutzoulis booked for a nasty foot-up tackle on Brain.

Obviously unhappy with the sloppy play in defence, Kevin Fallon replaced Riki Van Steeden with veteran John Markovski at halftime. But that made little difference.

Seven minutes into the second spell and under no pressure, Hiroshi Miyazawa failed to reach a bouncing ball with what should have been a simple header.

Sensing his chance, Tunbridge was handed a gift-wrapped opportunity to head into the gaping Kingz goal as Theoklitos tried in vain to salvage the situation.

Down 3-0 after 52 minutes, the Kingz lifted their game and made a second substitution, with Campbell Banks replacing young Craig Wylie, who had made a reasonable fist of his NSL debut.

Lance Eeson also saw some action after a third substitution (all attackers) as Fallon chased an impossible target.

For the Kingz it will be another sorry trip home, a short Christmas break, training on Thursday, then a friendly with Tauranga City next Saturday and their league clash with the Olympic Sharks at Ericsson Stadium on January 4.