The well-organised, highly efficient football team that is Adelaide Force once again proved too strong for the Football Kingz at North Harbour Stadium, their 2-0 victory on April 22, while a repeat of the scoreline when the teams met at this venue just a month ago, this time all but ending any hopes the New Zealand side had of making the National Soccer League play-offs in their first season in the competition. The visitors began the match well, but without giving Kingz 'keeper Daniel Duke any real causes for concern. Indeed, for all their plentiful possession and off-the-ball movement in the first half, a period during which they forced ten corners, Adelaide only forced Duke into action on just one occasion. This incident took place in the 38th minute, when the custodian saved with his legs from Bradley Hassell, after a lively move instigated by the outstanding Carl Veart, and continued by the lively Damian Mori, who cut in from the left before slipping the ball across for Claudio Pelosi. His shot was blocked by Riki van Steeden, and Hassell was unable to convert the rebound due to Duke's efforts. There were four other incidents when Adelaide came close to opening the scoring during the first spell. Mori curled a twenty-five yard free-kick into the side-netting on the half hour, while the unmarked Aurelio Vidmar - another to excel for the visitors - should have done better five minutes later, heading over from close range after ghosting in on the blindside of the Kingz defence to meet a well-flighted Veart cross. Both Veart and Nick Sabljak fired wide before the break for the visitors, who concluded the first half with a points advantage in boxing terms, but who could well have found themselves heading for the dressing rooms a goal in arrears of their hosts, who went into this match level on points with Adelaide. The Kingz best spell came in a ten-minute spell leading up to the halfway point in the first half. Both Jeff Campbell and Ivan Vicelich went close with long-range efforts in the 22nd and 23rd minutes respectively, but the fit-again Fred de Jong went closer still ten minutes prior. Latching onto Lee Jones' probing through ball, the striker deftly controlled the dropping sphere and turned his marker before prodding a shot just beyond Adrian Cagalj's left-hand upright from the edge of the penalty area, the goalkeeper diving in vain to his left. While many in the 5,143-strong crowd were still coming to grips with the eyebrow-raising half-time substitutions of Campbell and Jonathan Perry, Adelaide took full advantage of their opponents' wayward concentration resulting from these changes to score the crucial opening goal. Some non-existent tracking by the Kingz midfield was mercilessly punished by the visitors, with Mori's run through supplemented by Veart's forward surge, a darting run to which the home side had no answer. The former laid the ball into the path of the latter, whose clipped cross to the far post was met by the unmarked Pelosi - from five yards, Duke hadn't a prayer of stopping his header. Rocked by this setback, the Kingz almost found themselves facing a mountain to climb against the league's meanest defence three minutes later. Mori careered through again, only for Duke to race off his line and clear the danger, albeit temporarily. For his clearance went straight to Pelosi, who

hammered the ball back over the 'keeper's head and towards the target. Jones' presence of mind in covering the gaping goal was rewarded, the newly shaven-headed defender able to clear off the line and preserve the Kingz hopes of a fightback for the moment. One battle the Kingz were definitely winning was the individual duel between Aaron Silva and Gianluca Lagati. The latter was often seen doing his best to examine the label on Silva's collar, an approach to which the smaller striker didn't take too kindly. So on the two occasions when the opportunity presented itself, the close-marking defender was left writhing on the ground in agony, having been unceremoniously elbowed in that most tender of areas each time ... Ouch!! The introduction of Wynton Rufer brought some much-needed guile and craft to the Kingz play from the 66th minute, with an artful move featuring the player-coach, Jones and Chris Jackson taking place seven minutes later. De Jong's lay-off invited Batram Suri to let fly from twenty-five yards, and his drive sizzled over the crossbar. Within five minutes, the Kingz play-off hopes plummeted, while those of Adelaide soared. After Duke had saved a Vidmar drive, the visitors doubled their advantage twelve minutes from time with one of the softest goals you'll ever see. While Mori lined up a free-kick, Vidmar drifted away to the left, and found himself in yards of space. Mori saw what was on, and quickly laid the ball into the path of his team-mate, who nonchalantly curled home the match-winner beyond Duke's despairing dive, as the bemused Kingz defence looked around at each other, the burning question of "Who was supposed to be marking him?" foremost in their minds. The home team weren't yet done with, however, Rufer inspiring a couple of raids before the finish which saw de Jong twice going close, particularly in the 84th minute when, at full stretch, he just failed to do justice to a marvellous cross from the player-coach, who had beaten three players before delivering the sphere to the far post. Rufer himself fired the Kingz final shot, a free-kick into the hands of Cagalj, while Mori only just failed to convert a clipped cross from Vidmar, after the initial promptings of Sabljak. The Kingz assistant coach, Shane Rufer, while not admitting that all hope seems lost re making the play-offs, summed up the difference between his side and making same quite succinctly afterwards. "We lack nothing in terms of self-belief and match fitness. Our problem has been a lack of game intelligence". "You need people who've been involved in the game, a couple of experienced heads who can take the initiative on the pitch, rather than looking to the sidelines for guidance. But regardless of the final outcome, for our first season, we've come very close to making the top six". Kingz:  Duke, Jones (booked, 87), Hickey, van Steeden (Rufer, 66), Perry (Middleby, 46), Jackson (booked, 72), Ngata, Vicelich, Campbell (Suri, 46), de Jong, Silva (booked, 87) Adelaide:  Cagalj, Lagati, Costanzo (booked, 90), Tobin (Kim, 70), Hassell, Kemp, Veart, Vidmar, Sabljak, Mori, Pelosi (Brain, 90) Referee:  Brett Hugo