The Football Kingz and Melbourne Knights fought out a 2-2 draw in the first-ever National Soccer League fixture at a rain-drenched Waikato Stadium on November 1, but the vast majority of the 3672 present left decidedly disappointed, a result of the locals throwing away a 2-0 lead.      The Knights' fightback maintained their unbeaten start to the season, but in drawing their fifth game in six matches, they fielded a side sporting four changes from that which was held at home by Brisbane Strikers a week ago, with Solomon Islands' striker Henry Fa'arodo forced to wave his team-mates goodbye at the airport, due to problems of an immigration nature!!      They had problems of a Football Kingz nature to cope with in the first eight minutes of the match, with Martin John smothering a free-kick from the recalled Jeff Campbell early on, before the impressive combination play of James Pritchett and Patricio Almendra combined on the right to prise open the Knights' defence, the latter's cross screaming across the bows of the incoming Harry Ngata on the far post.      In the eleventh minute, the visitors had their first chance of the evening, as a slide-rule pass from Daniel Rocco sent speedy Xhezair Sulemani scything through the Kingz defence and round the advancing James Bannatyne. But Mark Atkinson was on hand to thwart the striker, his timely tackle preventing Sulemani from rolling the ball into an unguarded net.      Both goalkeepers were in action again soon afterwards, saving from Ngata and Daniel Vasilevski respectively - the Knights' wide-man should have done better with his effort, however, as he was completely unmarked when meeting Anthony Pelikan's cross on the volley.      The weather conditions were making life difficult for both teams, with a great deal of slipping and sliding taking place as the half wore on. It also meant plenty of indecision was in evidence, such as was seen in the seventeenth minute, when the ball was bouncing around Melbourne's penalty area as if it was in a pinball machine, and again six minutes later, when Bannatyne reacted far too late as a Pelikan snapshot fizzed narrowly past his right-hand post.      The Almendra-Pritchett ticket is already looking to be a profitable one for the Kingz, and the pair combined with Andy Vlahos in the 25th minute to create a shooting chance for Chris Jackson. His twenty-five yard drive was deflected for a corner, from which John produced a magnificent double-save.      Campbell and Pritchett teamed up for a short corner, the latter's cross picking out Raf de Gregorio, who let fly with a punishing volley from the edge of the penalty area. John instinctively flung himself to his left to pull off a stunning save, and was quick to recover his footing in time to deny Ngata at close quarters.      Seconds later, Almendra carved his way down the right and picked out the lively Vlahos, who looked on in disbelief as John spectacularly turned his fine hip-turn volley to safety.      John was beaten in the 28th minute, however, as Ngata pounced on a loose ball following Campbell's work on the left flank. The Kingz target-man spotted the visitors' 'keeper off his line and produced an exquisite chip which deserved better fate than to land on the roof of the net.      The Knights weren't getting a look-in at this stage, but should have taken the lead in the 32nd minute. The conditions saved the Kingz on this occasion, as Ivan Jolic threaded a pass through the home team's defence to leave Pelikan bearing down on Bannatyne at a rate of knots. The striker lost his footing on the wet turf at the crucial moment, however, much to the goalkeeper's relief.      The Kingz 'keeper denied Sulemani six minutes later, as Jolic's vision again found cracks in the home team's defensive line.      But with the New Zealand side, attack is their best form of defence, and Vlahos, after a slow start to the season, was warming to the task of leading from the front in this encounter, as evidenced by his buccaneering break down the left and whipped cross which John, wisely, let through to Almendra, who fired the ball back into the goalmouth, only for the well-performed goalkeeper to swat the sphere to safety.      De Gregorio sent a dipping twenty yard volley flying narrowly over the crossbar seconds later, while the last act of the half took place at the other end of the ground, with Bannatyne turning a teasing curling effort from Pelikan away from its intended destination - the top left-hand corner of the net - after Hiroshi Miyazawa had, not for the first time in this encounter, been caught out of position.      Whatever was in the Kingz half-time cuppa clearly had the desired effect, for within six minutes of the resumption, the home side were 2-0 up, and the fans were bouncing! In the 47th minute, Campbell and Vlahos combined for a short corner, the latter's cross to the far post being flicked on by Ngata.      Pritchett gathered the ball, spotted de Gregorio charging forward from deep, and rolled the ball into his team-mate's path. The midfielder took the sphere in his stride and swept it home emphatically, John given little chance as the grass-cutter gathered pace off the rain-slicked surface and whizzed into the net at his near post to open the scoring.      The Knights were still reeling from this blow when a second befell them, in the 51st minute. Vlahos rampaged down the left, checked and turned the ball inside for Almendra, who burst into the penalty area at pace. Rocco mistimed his tackle, and referee Peter Green didn't think twice - spot-kick. The Kingz Chilean

international picked himself up, dusted himself down and planted the ball into the net behind John, who got his hand to it, but couldn't keep the ball out. Leading 2-0, the Kingz were looking good for their first home win of the season, with Almendra and Ngata - John punched a gorgeous cross from Vlahos off the striker's head - both going close around the hour mark. Jonathan Taylor did likewise soon afterwards to almost cap off a Mark Burton - inspired raid with a goal in the midfielder's first appearance of the season, as the Knights' unbeaten start to the campaign appeared destined to come to an end. But in the 69th minute, they earned a reprieve. Daniel Piorkowski's angled free-kick was headed out by Miyazawa to Nick Sabljak, who easily avoided the defender's half-hearted lunge and let fly, the ball cannoning into the net off Taylor, whose efforts to block the shot succeeded in diverting the ball past a completely wrong-footed Bannatyne. Suddenly, the Knights were alive again, although they could easily have been killed off within seconds of pulling a goal back, as Campbell, racing into the penalty area, pulled his shot across the face of goal. Sulemani began to look interested again, only for Miyazawa to block his 73rd minute effort. The Kingz weren't having a bar of it, however, and went about looking to restore their two-goal advantage. On receipt of a delicious pass from de Gregorio, Jackson steamed into the penalty area and sent a sizzling low cross just too far in front of Vlahos, who was sliding in in a vain attempt to steer the ball home in the 74th minute. Almendra, too, was unable to capitalise on this occasion, but, with Pritchett, was instrumental in engineering the next opening, a minute later. Paul Urlovic, who had only been on the pitch three minutes, stretched out and sent a shot skidding mere inches past John's right-hand post from the edge of the penalty area. Three minutes later, Vlahos curled in a beautifully weighted cross from the left, despite the presence of three defenders around him. Pritchett came hurtling in to get on the end of it, but was beaten to the punch by Pelikan, the striker having shown fine example to his team-mates with his willingness to track back and help out as necessary. With eight minutes left, he gained due reward for his dedication to the cause, although as equalisers go, it's one which Bannatyne will have nightmares about for some time. Being a decidedly tall man as goalkeepers go, the Kingz custodian is one you would expect to encounter few problems when dealing with crosses. But he made an absolute meal of a Vasilevski cross which came in at head-height in the 82nd minute, and patted the ball down for Pelikan, who couldn't believe his good fortune, and effortlessly stroked the ball home into the back of the net, leaving Bannatyne to beat the ground in despair. At 2-2, it was all on, with the Knights now believing that they could off a remarkable comeback. But the Kingz were just as intent on claiming all three points, Vlahos leading the charge in the 84th minute with a teasing cross-shot which had John back-pedalling to tip the ball to safety. Back came the visitors, Pelikan gathering the ball on the left after a break from defence by his captain, Roddy Vargas. The striker's cross picked out the unmarked Sulemani, who sent the ball bulleting goalwards with a splendid header. The static Bannatyne looked on, firstly with fear, then relief, as the ball ricocheted off the base of his right-hand post to safety. Vargas blocked a de Gregorio drive seconds later, after Pritchett's break down the right had earned good support from Vlahos and Urlovic, but within seconds the Kingz were screaming for a penalty after an offence not seen by referee Green. Vlahos gathered the rebound from Vargas' block and angled a cross to the far post for Jackson, who sent a header goalwards from near the edge of the goal area. The ball struck the upper arm of his marker, Piorkowski, who quickly gathered the rebound and cleared the danger, as Jackson and colleagues screamed blue murder at the unsighted official, ultimately in vain. They kept pressing for a winner, however, with Pritchett again the scourge of the Knights' left flank in stoppage time. Forward he motored, before curling in a cross for Vlahos, whose delicate side-footed volley from the edge of the penalty area cleared the crossbar by inches. Back came the Knights, Boris Ovcin leading a five-man counter-attack with just three Kingz defenders, plus 'keeper Bannatyne, back to offer resistance. The midfielder swept the ball into the path of the overlapping Sabljak, who sliced inside a challenge and crossed for Pelikan, arriving on the far post. Bannatyne pulled off a fine save to thwart the last attack of the match, but it was his error which ultimately cost the Kingz their first win on New Zealand soil since January, and continued the Knights' golden run of results against their trans-Tasman rivals, against whom they have yet to taste defeat in seven games. Kingz:          Bannatyne; Atkinson, Miyazawa, Taylor (booked, 62); Pritchett, Jackson, de Gregorio, Campbell (Urlovic, 72); Almendra (Turner, 79 (booked, 90)), Ngata (Burton, 63), Vlahos Knights:     John; Piorkowski, Vargas, Kovacic (booked, 2) (Marth, 75); Vasilevski, Sabljak, Rocco (Ovcin, 59), Jolic, Erdogan; Sulemani, Pelikan Referee:     Peter Green