Soccer: Kingz' season slumps further after 2-nil loss

By TERRY MADDAFORD

When there are more kids enjoying a kickaround behind the goal than watching the on-field action you know something is wrong - especially when fewer than 1000 people have turned up anyway.

Sadly, it was the "same old, same old" for the Football Kingz at Ericsson Stadium yesterday.

Good enough for a deserved 0-0 at halftime, the wheels fell off in the second spell and, for the sixth straight time this season, they came up empty, going down 2-0 to a useful, but hardly championship contender, Northern Spirit.

Now the Kingz must snap their horror start away to last season's beaten finalists Olympic Sharks on Sunday or risk a record-equalling seventh straight loss.

Assistant coach Tommy Mason admits there is "no easy fix".

Deputising for coach Ken Dugdale in post-match analysis, Mason said: "We [the coaches] have to keep being positive."

That cannot be easy when you have watched your team battle for a good part of an NSL game only to see any good undone by two heartbreaking defensive errors.

"We tried hard to keep possession and in the first half we got into some dangerous areas," said Mason. "But nothing came of it."

The Kingz gave as good as they got. They lost nothing in the possession and territory stakes, had the better of the corner count and had more shots on goal.

But by failing to score for the first time this season they were never going to win.

Former All Whites coach Allan Jones, among the pitiful crowd, has long bemoaned the lack of speed and athleticism in New Zealand soccer players. That was again sadly exposed by a team who were no gazelles and with three of their players on the wrong side of 30.

Well-organised and obviously thirsty for action after a three-weak break, the Kingz dominated the opening stanza with Mauro Donoso setting up a good early opportunity when he got on the end of a well-directed Jeff Campbell cross and headed towards Harry Ngata, who was sadly wrong-footed and the opportunity was lost.

Apart from a weak Dylan Macallister header, from a ball played across the face of the goal by Stewart Petrie, the visitors rarely threatened in the first half. The Kingz ended the spell with half chances to Aleksander Midtsian, and Chris Jackson which produced a fingertip save from goalkeeper Paul Henderson.

Spirit coach Lawrie McKinna rearranged his battle plan in the second half by pushing Julian Watts forward into midfield.

Within 10 minutes the visitors were rewarded.

Norwegian defender Espen Schjerven misjudged a simple header from an attacking Ian Ferguson freekick. The ball dropped nicely for Macallister who had time to control and hit home without giving Kingz keeper Ross Nicholson any hope.

Eleven minutes later sweeper Glen Collins marred an otherwise useful effort when he tangled with Macallister in a hardly-threatening situation. Ferguson thumped home the resultant penalty.

Midtsian went close 10 minutes from time as Spirit lost Petrie for a second bookable offence but that was about it and summed up the Kingz' day. And their season.