Soccer: Kingz not perfect, but progressing

By TERRY MADDAFORD

It is not yet time for a mid-term report, but this week's bye has given coach Ken Dugdale time to reflect on his team's start to their NSL season and to look at what's ahead.

"We have to be reasonably pleased with where we are on the table," Dugdale said.

"But, having said that, we could have been in a better position if a couple of things had gone our way."

The Kingz are seventh in the 13-team league.

Although his first-choice defensive trio of Jonathan Perry, Hiroshi Miyazawa and Jonathon Taylor have been reasonably solid, Dugdale admits they have let themselves and the Kingz down at times with some sloppy play that led to goals.

He is, however, in no mind to change things by going to a back four and playing with a sweeper.

"We have no doubts about the formation we have gone with. I don't think we are clever enough to change. I know it is a cliche, but often attack can be the best means of defence.

"The best way to defend is to put the opposition under pressure, which we have done.

"Our strikers, Patricio Almendra, Andy Vlahos and Harry Ngata, have shown they have the ability to get forward and cause problems."

Dugdale has taken heart from that and from the way James Pritchett has taken his opportunities, the manner in which Miyazawa has settled to show real defensive qualities and, of course, Michael Utting's work in goal.

"I think he is playing better than I have ever seen.

"He has been better than we might have hoped, but certainly not unexpected. He is a good goalkeeper."

That is, of course, when he does not attempt to emulate Bobo the Clown with a juggling act that very nearly went badly wrong in the Kingz 2-0 win over Brisbane last time out.

"Yes, we had a quiet word after that. He knows it could have cost us big time because a goal at that stage would have got them back into the game."

Dugdale's disappointment has been in the way his team has often been caught through a lack of concentration.

He believes the 2-2 draw with defending champions Olympic Sharks in round five remains his team's best result.

The Kingz played for all but 12 minutes with 10 men.

"They could have given it away, but stuck to it and in the end got something they might not have deserved."

Dugdale admits the Kingz are "by no means perfect." But, he quickly adds, there is a determination to "keep things ticking over" in the knowledge that the really good results might not be too far away.

"The league is very even. As it sits right now, we are only two points off third. While we see the Sharks and Perth Glory as very good teams, we are not afraid of anybody.

"We accept there are shortcomings. As one example, we are not a team endowed with a lot of pace. There is no real substitution for that, but you then work to whatever other strengths you might have."

Dugdale confirmed that defender Paul Dempsey had been released because he was not happy with not getting game time.

He said James Pritchett, Ben Sigmund and Steven Turner, who played on an "as required basis," would not be offered full contracts and that the club might look outside the squad, or even the country, to replace Dempsey.

The players have the weekend off before they start preparing for Friday night's home game with Newcastle United when, for the first time since he took over, Dugdale will be able to select from an injury-free squad.