Soccer: Record loss sends Kingz season from bad to worse

By DAVID LEGGATT

Just when things seemed as if they could not get worse for the Football Kingz, they tumbled to their record loss in the National Soccer League at Ericsson Stadium last night.

The Kingz were tonked 7-1 by a Parramatta Power side who came here on the back of four straight losses but found their feet against a Kingz team woefully short of the required quality all round the park.

The Kingz stay bottom of the league on 14 points, while Parramatta's top-six playoff hopes are still alive.

By the end of the game, Parramatta were full of running, but the Kingz looked like whipped dogs.

The Kingz began brightly, should have been ahead in the sixth minute, and were two minutes later.

Harry Ngata had a free header right in front of goal but directed it straight at goalkeeper Liam Reddy. Campbell Banks' close-range follow-up was blocked. Ngata made up for that when Parramatta's sloppy defence at the near post from a right-side corner left him with an easy tap-in.

The next 20 minutes spluttered along like a dodgy engine, some good moments interspersed with decidedly ordinary work from both teams.

The Kingz were unlucky when they conceded the equaliser in that it came not from shabby work by the defensive unit but rather a dreadful howler by goalkeeper Michael Theoklitos.

He let a soft, low free-kick from Peter Bennett slide under his body.

It went from bad to worse six minutes before halftime when the Kingz' defence was split open and Brett Holman finished nicely.

Fifteen minutes in to the second half it was all over as a contest. Adam Kwasnik was given time on the ball in the penalty area, swivelled smartly and rifled a shot low into the corner of the net.

When the Kingz' defence broke down yet again, the industrious Ahmed Elrich had an easy tap-in.

Further goals for Holman, Matt Thompson and Elrich again simply had an inevitable feel to them.