Soccer: The ragtag Kingz get a drubbing

By TERRY MADDAFORD

A season which began poorly for the Football Kingz is quickly taking a turn for the worse as injuries and off-field problems continue to blight the team.

After absorbing an inordinate amount of early pressure and threatening to play their way back into Saturday night's Australian NSL game, things turned sour as Parramatta Power cruised home 4-1.

Even without Ante Milicic, who failed a fitness test, and without an out-of-sorts Fernando Rech for the last hour of the match at Parramatta Stadium, the home side were always in control against a Kingz team who coach Ken Dugdale was yet again forced to rearrange.

Their frustration was evident as early as the 10th minute, when newcomer Paul Seaman was booked for a late tackle.

With the Kingz backing off, it was only a matter of time before their defence would be breached.

Rech's departure brought Travis Dodd off the bench. The Kingz wished he had stayed there.

Within six minutes of joining the action, Dodd was in the scoring action, pouncing on a ball dropped by goalkeeper Ross Nicholson, under a challenge from Dodd, as he attempted to deal with a Simon Colosimo corner.

Three minutes later, Dodd had his second.

This time Colosimo played his corner kick short to Lucas Pantelis, who crossed neatly and Dodd headed home.

The diminutive John Buonavoglia, who had been dangerous throughout the first spell, almost made it three just before the break when he beat his marker but fired just wide of the far post.

Harry Ngata had the Kingz' only half-chance of the first half but he, too, was wide with his 41st-minute effort.

Dugdale made a couple of changes at the break, opting for more attacking firepower by pressing Australians Tallan Martin and Paul Harries into action.

Martin, on at the right side of midfield in place of Campbell Banks, repaid his coach's faith 12 minutes into the second spell when he headed home a good ball played in by Brad Scott to register his first NSL goal.

The respite was brief.

Dodd started and finished the move which produced a somewhat lucky goal which completed his hat-trick - only the fifth in NSL history to be scored by a player off the substitutes' bench.

Buonavoglia, the club's leading scorer last season with 15 goals, could have had one three minutes into added time, but opted instead to play the ball to the unmarked Ahmed Elrich who provided the finishing touch.

It was, at best, a battling performance from the Kingz who now have only Wollongong Wolves below them on the league table.

Glen Collins, who joins the All Whites in Tehran for their match with Iran this week, was the standout for a Kingz side who promised something, but again failed to deliver.

It will not be any easier for Dugdale and his players this week.

They will be without Collins for their Sunday home game against defending champions Perth Glory, who will be smarting from a 0-0 home draw with Brisbane Strikers.