Soccer: Silva shows he has the golden touch

By TERRY MADDAFORD

All Aaron Silva touched turned to gold as the Football Kingz bounced back from their biggest hiding in the Australian National Soccer League to score a record 4-0 win over Parramatta Power at North Harbour Stadium last night.

Silva's Midas touch was justly rewarded with the club's first hat-trick in a victory which kept their slim playoff hopes alive. Being named man of the match was a mere formality for the diminutive Chilean.

The win continued the Kingz chalk-and-cheese season.

Three days after turning in their worst performance of the season in going down 0-4 to the Melbourne Knights, they turned in one of their best to end the night in eighth place, as high as they have been at any stage of their debut season.

The first 15 minutes of this catch-up clash were often scrappy.

Once they overcame a tentative start, the Kingz hit the ground running.

The visitors held the upper hand through the early exchanges but the rearranged Kingz defence, with Riki van Steeden and Noah Hickey making the most of their first starts in a month, were untroubled in keeping them out.

Slowly, sparked by Ivan Vicelich's work in the midfield, the home side clawed their way back. Vicelich combined well with Chris Jackson, Harry Ngata and Jonathan Perry in providing the go-forward which had been lacking.

That pressure was eventually rewarded when Vicelich provided an early ball and Wynton Rufer a telling touch to Silva, who ran wide before turning neatly and angling home a 29th-minute opener.

The Kingz had a great chance to increase their lead in the 38th minute when Silva played a deft one-two with Rufer, who fired across the face of the goal but just beyond Silva and Ngata's outstretched boots.

The second goal, 10 minutes after the first, was all class.

Rufer expertly held the ball before releasing Silva, who rode Mark Byrnes' challenge before slotting a superb goal.

And he needed just 17 minutes of the second half before celebrating his hat-trick.

And to cap a truly memorable night, the ever lively Silva provided the telling pass for substitute Batram Suri to round off a great night with a last-minute goal after the home side had ruled supreme in the second 45 minutes.