The Football Kingz bounced back to winning ways at North Harbour Stadium on January 3, starting the new millennium as they mean to continue wth a convincing 3-1 win over perennial National Soccer League cellar-dwellers Canberra Cosmos. In recording just their second home win of the season, the victorious Kingz combination dominated much of the play in this encounter against a Canberra side which has plummeted down the league ladder in recent weeks, having failed to score a single point since the last week in November. Early on in the piece, the home side seemed intent on wrapping up the points inside the first ten minutes. The lively Ivan Vicelich and the outstanding Dino Mennillo led the charge, with the combined efforts of Canberra's defence and goalkeeper Angelo Konstantinou proving sufficient to thwart the former three times in this period, a phase of the match in which Fred de Jong also went close to breaking the deadlock. The Kingz eased off the accelerator briefly, with Mennillo and Toplica Popovich the only players to trouble Konstantinou in the next twenty minutes, the latter diverting the cross of the energetic Aaron Silva back beyond the reach of the advancing 'keeper. The 2500-strong crowd was treated to the comical sight of Konstantinou scampering back towards his goal in hot pursuit of the bouncing ball - embarrassment was avoided by a yard! After de Jong had squandered a gilt-edged chance in the 26th minute - he failed to hit the target when put clean through by the combined efforts of Chris Jackson and Silva - the Kingz opened the scoring with a simply conceived but superbly executed 31st minute strike. Jason Batty's raking clearance was flicked on by Vicelich for the ever-menacing Mennillo. His driven low cross was steered home first-time by Silva, whose delight at scoring in just his second game after a lengthy absence was evident for all to see. The advantage was no more than the Kingz deserved, and it was one they almost doubled right on the stroke of half-time. De Jong, who missed the Kingz trip to Carlton after collecting his fourth booking of the season, picked out Silva with a measured lay-off, anbd the effervescent striker scampered between Konstantinou and the retreating Robbie Hooker to create room for a shot which thudded into the side-netting just a foot past the upright. The Kingz dominance continued early in the second spell. After de Jong had been crowded out by the massed ranks of Canberra's defence, Harry Ngata sparked off a superb 48th minute raid with a fine crossfield pass to Robbie Middleby. The flank player scorched past four players before working a one-two with Mennillo, then setting up Silva. Only Konstantinou's fine save at full stretch prevented the Kingz from doubling their lead. The 'keeper was well placed to deny Jackson's vicious volley seconds later, but could do nothing to prevent the inevitable happening in the 49th minute. Vicelich released Silva with an early ball which the Chilean made the most of, arcing over a fine first-time cross which de Jong volleyed home in

emphatic fashion, despite the attentions of Cosmos defender Nick Purdue at his shoulder. Silva and de Jong both went close after the hour, before the home side assured themselves of just their second win in six attempts at North Harbour Stadium with, at long last, a well-executed set-piece goal. Jackson picked out Che Bunce with his free-kick, and the ball duly found its way into the top corner of the net in the 68th minute, despite Konstantinou's best efforts to divert it elsewhere. Aside from a Levent Osman effort late on which Konstantinou saved with his legs, that was the Kingz lot in a match in which the visitors rarely looked like breaking their losing streak. Batty was largely untroubled for the majority of the encounter, Popovich the only person to force him to produce a save with his twenty yard strike in the 21st minute. It was only following the 73rd minute dismissal of Kingz defender Lee Jones, for a reckless - and needless - lunge on Paul Roberts, that Batty and his defenders had to break sweat. And break sweat they did in the last ten or so minutes as Canberra made their numerical superiority count. Jonathan Perry didn't quite clean up a Cosmos raid, the pressure applied by Glen Kolpak forcing the Kingz defender to err. Kolpak quickly capitalised, back-heeling the ball into the path of Daniel Watkins, who swept the ball across for the completely unmarked Michael Musitano to pick his spot beyond Batty in the 82nd minute. Four minutes later, the All Whites goalkeeper had to be at his best to thwart Musitano, a lively substitute who, in this writer's eyes, made the most of his opportunity to press for a starting place in a Canberra side clearly lacking in confidence throughout this duel. The striker bulldozed his way to the byline and looked to beat Batty at his near post with a tight-angled shot, but the Kingz custodian saved with his legs. In stoppage time, the visitors came close to reducing the deficit still further, Watkins volleying against the far post on receipt of a cross from Harry James, who, having already earned a yellow card in the seventeenth minute, was fortunate to remain on the park soon after, having executed a tackle from behind which sent Vicelich sprawling, but which only earned the offender a talking-to from the otherwise well-performed referee, Mark Shield. In recent weeks, criticism of the performances of those match officials appointed to adjudicate games involving the Football Kingz has far outweighted any praise due to them. Mr Shield's common sense approach to the task is one his peers would do well to take note of. Kingz:  Batty, Perry, Bunce (booked, 89), Jones (sent off, 73), Vicelich, Middleby (Osman, 72), Ngata (booked, 51), Jackson, Mennillo (Elrick, 63), de Jong (booked, 79), Silva (Riddle, 63) Canberra:  Konstantinou, Burt (booked, 41), Hooker (Gonzales, 51), Purdue, James (booked, 17), Roberts (Musitano, 72), Hamilton, Polak (booked, 74), Popovich, Watkins, Kolpak Referee:  Mark Shield