Soccer: Adshead defends players as slump continues

New Zealand Knights coach John Adshead launched a spirited defence of his players despite his struggling team slumping to a sixth loss in seven A-League soccer matches in Melbourne last night.

Melbourne Victory cruised past the Knights 3-0 at Olympic Park, moving into third place in the league and setting up a season-defining showdown with second-placed Sydney FC in Melbourne on Sunday.

In contrast, the Knights are looking firm wooden spoon favourites after another defeat, sitting four points adrift at the foot of the table with a solitary win, injury woes and a squad struggling to match the quality of those boasted by their seven rival clubs.

The Knights' problems deepened after just 16 minutes when experienced defender and stand-in skipper Neil Emblen limped off with a knee injury which Adshead fears could rule him out for several weeks.

Regular captain Danny Hay, with a groin injury, is still at least two weeks away from returning giving Adshead a defensive headache to solve ahead of Sunday's home clash against Queensland Roar.

The former All Whites mentor maintained a brave face after the latest reversal, defiantly denying suggestions the Knights were not up to the standard of the rest of the A-League.

"We've never been outclassed totally in any game, we've never been third-rate," Adshead said.

"In patches we do all right but we never get anything to show for it. Then something goes wrong for us ....I think it's a mental thing now, it's not an easy situation.

"I sympathise with them (the players) but we've got to get above it," he said.

"You've got to keep working and working at it, and it will turn.

"Getting out of the cellar -- it's still not a million miles away. This league is very tight. "

Melbourne led 1-0 at halftime through a neat left-foot strike from man-of-the-match Richard Kitzbichler after some neat interplay on the edge of the box with striker Danny Allsopp.

The Knights had two excellent chances early in the second half to equalise through strikers Joshua Rose and Sean Devine, but previously unemployed Victory goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic pulled off two good saves to keep his side ahead.

Then Victory asserted their superiority, scoring twice in three minutes midway through the second half before dominating the rest of the match.

First skipper Kevin Muscat played a neat one-two with substitute Ricky Diaco before collecting and finding the net.

Diaco then scrambled one home from close range after good lead-up work from Kitzbichler.

- NZPA