Sydney FC scored their first victory in the Hyundai A-League on a brisk September 2 evening, but were made to work hard for their 3-1 victory over the NZ Knights in front of 9827 fans at North Harbour Stadium. The local side, with nothing like the resources of their opponents on which to call, battled away bravely, and kept their big-spending visitors honest throughout, but once Sydney opened the scoring, there was only ever going to be one outcome. The more fancied side were quickly out of the starting blocks, dominating the early stages but without delivering a quality final ball into the danger zone - a failing so often seen in football today. After seeing early penalty claims waved away by referee Peter O'Leary - man-management-wise, a very good performance, but less so when it came to his decision-making - Sydney opened the Knights up for the first time in the twelfth minute. How the home side survived only they will know. Matt Bingley's ball into the area picked out David Zdrillic, who turned smartly before angling a shot past the approaching figure of Danny Milosevic. Darren Bazeley - top display - was on hand to clear the effort off the line, but could only direct the ball into the path of the incoming David Carney. From point-blank range, and with the goal at his mercy, you would have put the house on the scoreboard being altered, but thank heavens there was no chance to place a bet - his header hit the post, and the home team breathed a huge sigh of relief as they cleared their lines. The visitors continued to dominate the early stages, and after Zdrillic had volleyed wide following good work by Steve Corica, Milosevic was called on to thwart Carney at close quarters, after the midfielder's astute off-the-ball run into the penalty area had been picked out by Alvin Ceccoli's angled ball forward. The Knights were being forced to live on scraps at this stage, with Sean Devine invariably battling against the odds when the home team did launch the ball forward. He was unlucky in the nineteenth minute, however, John Tambouras' hoisted pass failing to fall kindly at any stage for the nuggety number ten, which meant the surging supporting run down the left by Zenon Caravella - the Knights' star turn in this match - was for nought. After Bazeley had blazed a shot nearer the corner flag than the target, and Ceccoli's wicked driven cross towards Zdrillic had been cut out by the hard-working Ben Collett, the goal Sydney had long threatened finally materialised in the 24th minute. From the Knights' perspective, it was easily avoidable. Andrew Parker clipped a cross to the far post, where Sydney captain Mark Rudan was on hand to head the ball down into the goalmouth. Tambouras stepped in to clear, but only as far as Zdrillic, who immediately headed it back from whence it came. Corica flicked the ball across, and the unmarked Rudan wasted little time in ramming home the opening goal. Maybe it was a touch of complacency - the Knights are widely regarded as the A-League's rank outsiders, after all - but the visitors effectively turned off the power upon scoring the goal, and they were rather grateful to goalkeeper Clint Bolton that they still maintained that lead over the course of the next five minutes. For the Knights attacked with vibrancy and vigour upon conceding the goal, Joshua Rose's 27th minute corner being delivered beyond the far post to Danny Hay. The captain, later succumb to a hamstring strain, headed the ball down for Devine, who directed a difficult volley wide of the mark. Two minutes later, Caravella and Rose prised open Sydney's rearguard with a one-two on the left, the former then taking the ball into the penalty area before seeing Bolton turn his shot round the post. Steve Fitzsimmons whipped in the corner to the near post, where Rose swooped to crack a close-range shot goalwards. Bolton saved smartly, ending up in the net himself as his team-mates charged downfield courtesy his intervention. Corica led the raid, beating three before feeding Zdrillic. He turned the ball into Carney's path, and the lively midfielder - Sydney's best-performed player on the night - engineered an opening before pulling his shot across the face of goal. Two minutes later, Caravella again exposed Sydney's right flank - John-Arne Riise and Bolo Zenden will have a field day should the Oceania club champions have the opportunity to grace the same pitch as Liverpool FC in Yokohama in December! The

Knights' cavalier crusader cruised to the by-line before pulling the ball back for Rose, who once again found Bolton equal to his shot. The first half rather fizzled out at this point, with neither side able to muster a worthwhile opportunity to alter the scoreline in the remaining thirteen minutes, a situation which continued throughout the early stages of the second spell, which was played at somewhat pedestrian pace. This suited Sydney down to the ground - they were, after all, 1-0 up, and seemingly content on sitting on their lead, as was the case a week ago against Melbourne Victory before the Victorians drew level and spoilt the favourites' fun. Surely lightning couldn't strike twice? Too right it could, and did, in the 69th minute. The chief celebrant was Rose, who had twice gone close since the interval when heading a Fitzsimmons corner onto the roof of the net, then seen Bolton once more deny him, this time at his feet as he pursued a Caravella pass. This time, the 'keeper was beaten all ends up. Fitzsimmons' cross was expertly flicked on by Devine into the path of the lurking Rose, who swept a first-time volley across Bolton and inside the far post - 1-1, and the prospect of "FC Bling" being humbled by the competition's paupers was one which greatly appealed to the local faithful. Sadly for Knights' fans, the prospect existed for only four minutes. A clattering tackle by Hay's replacement, Jeremy Christie, on Carney rightly earned the substitute a yellow card, which was eventually issued after a gathering of the clans had seen much finger-pointing and anger-filled gestures in evidence. It's as well for Christie that he didn't connect - Carney got his leg out of the way in the nick of time! But the player on whom the foul was committed wasted little time in administering the best punishment possible in football - ensuring the ball ends up in the opposition's net! Carney's 73rd minute, from the right-hand touchline, found Bingley completely unmarked on the far post, and he gleefully headed home beyond Milosevic to restore Sydney's advantage, the despairing efforts of Bazeley to repeat his earlier goal-line clearance this time in vain. Back came the Knights once more - Sydney's habit of stopping what they're good at after scoring a goal was again in evidence. Simon Yeo was introduced to the fray, and with his first touch, the leading scorer in last season's English Third Division startled Bolton with a rasping twenty-five yarder. Further opportunities followed, the majority of which were foiled by the Knights' inability to deliver quality ball, having done all the hard work in prising open Sydney's rearguard … methinks Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso will be more scrupulous in December! The best chance the Knights engineered for a potential equaliser came six minutes from time, when Neil Emblen picked out Yeo with a gem of a ball behind the defence. The striker's first touch was delightful, but Iain Fyfe's despairing lunge denied him the chance to mark his A-League debut with a goal, with Caravella unable to make the most of the rebound. It sparked a Sydney counter-attack, with Carney showing some delightful skill on the wing before easing between two opponents and whipping in a cross to the near post. Robbie Middleby, the former Football Kingz player who was back on familiar turf after coming on as a substitute, raced in, but Milosevic got there a second before him - the goalkeeper will have a rather sore head on Saturday morning after this collision! Milosevic stood no chance in stoppage time, however, as Middleby made the most of an awful error of judgement by Tambouras, an underpowered header which left Bazeley in all sorts of bother. The substitute swooped, accelerated forward then mercilessly lashed home a twenty-yarder to wrap up the scoring, and clinch a 3-1 victory for a Sydney side which played well within itself at times against opponents whose gritty display against much-vaunted opponents will have earned them a fair few fans among those attending New Zealand's inaugural A-League fixture purely to see what all the fuss was about! Knights:     Milosevic; Bazeley, Tambouras, Hay (Christie, 67 (booked, 72)), Collett; Fitzsimmons, Maguire (Hickey, 81), Emblen (booked, 90), Caravella; Devine (booked, 21) (Yeo, 75), Rose Sydney:     Bolton; Fyfe, Rudan, Ceccoli; Parker (Middleby, 71), Talay, McFlynn (booked, 87), Bingley, Carney (Timpano, 89); Zdrillic (Buonavoglia, 83), Corica Referee:     Peter O'Leary