Soccer: Same old, same old for misfiring Knights

SYDNEY - For frustrated New Zealand Knights soccer coach John Adshead, it was groundhog day as his A-League strugglers faded deeper into oblivion following a 0-2 loss to Sydney FC last night.

"It's business as usual, isn't it?" Adshead asked after the concession of two softish goals inside the first 30 minutes gave them too much ground to catch up at Aussie Stadium.

"We didn't play well in the first half, we didn't close them down quick enough, we looked very lightweight," said Adshead, who deliberately chose against going to the bench at halftime despite an error-ridden and non-threatening opening stanza.

Quizzed on his reluctance to make changes Adshead explained: "I decided in the dressing room: 'You're going to play your way out of this or get in deeper trouble'."

To their credit, the Knights stuck to their task and ensured the floodgates never opened, though that was also due to Sydney slackening off and star import Dwight Yorke having an uncharacteristic off night.

While Yorke's radar was on the blink on at least four occasions, Sydney had still enough predatory instinct from set pieces to leave the Knights with a 1-8 win-loss ratio -- and just four goals scored in nine games.

Striker Sasho Petrovski half volleyed a corner into an unguarded net in the 10th minute and David Carney doubled the lead 20 minutes later when an Iain Fyfe header from a free kick ricocheted off the post to the Englishman's head for a simple tap in.

Adshead had to quibble with the first goal but said Carney's was another example of luck deserting his team.

"We can't get through a game without conceding something that you think 'why does the ball have to bounce there for them and never for us' .... when you're the bottom of the league looking up that's the way it goes."

He was buoyed by the second half performance but scoring remains a glaring deficiency -- and one without an immediate remedy.

"Chances have come and gone, and that is a concern," Adshead said, admitting he may have erred in not buying a striker with aerial ability given the Knights' predominantly long-ball style.

"We've got good strikers -- they've just got to get better service and get their confidence but we didn't sign a target man and that's something where perhaps I've got to put my hand up."

Sydney FC goalkeeper Clint Bolton twiddled his thumbs for 55 minutes before handling a threatening goal-bound strike, and although he was busy intermittently from that point, the Knights' English strike force of Simon Yeo and Sean Devine never got the home side's hearts racing.

On a positive note captain Danny Hay survived 90 minutes in his comeback from a groin injury and appeared to pull up well after an energetic performance.

"It's a good sign and I thought his presence, when we had more of the ball, came through."

Fellow stopper Neil Emblen is still about two weeks away from returning from a knee injury so the first choice defensive unit will be unavailable for Saturday's match at North Harbour Stadium against the Central Coast Mariners -- the only side the Knights have beaten so far this season.

Meanwhile, Sydney FC coach Pierre Littbarski was disappointed at a lack of intensity and quality finishing from his side after the break.

"We had a chance to smash New Zealand 5-0, 6-0 but we didn't do it. Hopefully they've kept some goals for the next game but I'm not happy with the 90 minutes," he said.

Sydney leapfrogged from third to top of the table although their time at the summit could be short-lived with Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United able to overtake them by the end of the round tomorrow.

Sydney FC 2 (Sasho Petrovski 10, David Carney 30)

New Zealand Knights 0.

Halftime 2-0

- NZPA