A ruthless Perth Glory combination showed no mercy to their Football Kingz counterparts at Perth Oval on January 4, as the National Soccer League title-chasers mauled their Kiwi visitors 5-0, much to the delight of the 10,092 fans in attendance.      The game was all over bar the shouting inside the first eleven minutes of the match, by which time Perth had struck twice in three minutes, having initially gone close through Damian Mori, who shot tamely at Michael Utting after Scott Miller's early through ball had sent the league's leading marksman scurrying clear of a static Kingz defence.      The home team opened the scoring in the eighth minute, the goal emanating from a long goal-kick by goalkeeper Jason Petkovic, for whom this match marked a century of appearances in Perth's predominantly purple attire.      His clearance was flicked on by Bobby Despotovski for Mori, who slipped the hard-running Matt Horsley through the bewildered Kingz rearguard, the midfielder slipping the ball beyond Utting to celebrate his return to action after the death, through illness, of his six-year-old daughter earlier in the season.      Three minutes later, woeful Kingz defending at a corner was dutifully punished. Miller's delivery to the far post saw Jamie Harnwell head the ball back across goal. Shane Pryce couldn't believe there was nobody near him as he loped in to gleefully head home unchallenged from point-blank range.      Perth's counter-attacking style is something for which the Football Kingz have rarely found an answer in their eight clashes to date, this being the Western Australian outfit's sixth victory in those duels.      While the Kiwi team looked comfortable in possession in this match, their ongoing struggle to penetrate the opposition's back-line continued unabated, and upon conceding possession, such was the pace and movement of Perth's raids that the Kingz rearguard was all too often stretched to breaking point.      Another such charge forced a 21st minute corner, from which Despotovski picked out Harnwell on the far post. His downward header flashed past the post, but the source of that opportunity was celebrating Perth's third goal barely a minute later.      And a superbly conceived and executed strike it was, too. Petkovic launched the ball forward, and after the initial attack broke down, Bradley Hassell took charge of proceedings, spraying the ball wide to Horsley.      He slipped Despotovski through the Kingz bewildered defence, the striker lifting the ball over the stunned figure of Utting before gathering the sphere as it dropped and steering it home, despite the despairing efforts of Darren Young to clear.      Following a spell in which the Kingz enjoyed plenty of the ball, the home team were denied a fourth first half goal six minutes before the break by the brilliance of Utting.      Another rapier-like raid saw Despotovski flicking Petkovic's clearance on to Horsley. A touch for the overlapping Andre Gumprecht saw the midfielder's sizzling drive tipped onto the crossbar by the Kingz 'keeper, who was in action again soon after, saving Nick Mrdja's first touch of the ball, after he had replaced the injured Despotovski.      The visitors had their moments on attack in the first spell, most notably an Andy Vlahos free-kick which fizzed over the crossbar, a slick one-two between Harry Ngata and Mark Atkinson which saw the latter send a shot on the run sizzling past Petkovic's post, and a dipping twenty-five yard drive from Chris Jackson just before the interval, which landed on the roof of the net.      They looked a better balanced combination in the second spell, once Steven Turner had been introduced to the fray at the expense of the ineffective Mark Burton. The youngster's central midfield partner, Jackson, fired the first scoring chance of the half narrowly wide from twenty-five yards within four minutes of the resumption, which prompted Perth to roll their sleeves up and matching their first half efforts on the scoreboard.      After Utting had produced a fine save low to his left to deny the effervescent Mori, the home team cracked home their fourth goal of the evening in the 54th minute, but did so in controversial circumstances.      The common practice in football the world over,

when an opponent is injured and play has not been stopped to allow attendance to same, is for the team in possession to put the ball out of play to permit this to happen, safe in the knowledge that they will have the ball returned to them by the opposition once they are back at full strength. It is very rare indeed for this practice not to be adhered to - the cricketing equivalent would be underarm bowling! But on this occasion … Jonathan Perry was lying prone in his own goal area, having landed awkwardly when attempting to clear a cross. The ball was cleared downfield to Petkovic, who promptly started another Perth raid, rolling the ball out to Miller. Down the left the home team rampaged unchallenged, the Kingz fully expecting their opponents to abide by the aforementioned footballing courtesy. By the time the visitors cottoned onto the fact that Perth weren't stopping for anyone or anything, they were too late, and Gumprecht fair battered the ball beyond Utting from the edge of the penalty area, Perry still prone to the immediate right of the goal inside the six yard box with an injury which prompted his replacement shortly afterwards. The Kingz were, understandably, livid, and pleaded with referee Matthew Breeze for some leniency. But the official was powerless to intervene, Perth's goal having been scored well within the Laws of the Game. Whether it was scored within the spirit of same is another matter entirely! The incident prompted a far more vigorous display from the visitors for the remainder of the match, their challenges now carrying plenty of added ferocity as they looked to channel their obvious ire via legitimate means. But a wildly inaccurate close-range effort from Ngata apart, they couldn't find a way to test Petkovic inside the next twenty-five minutes, which was the length of time it took Perth to add to their tally still further. Hassell and Mori both went close during this period, as did Mrdja, twice - he'll want to forget what happened on the third occasion, but suffice to say the floodlights were in greater danger of being hit by the ball, so woeful was his finish, and after having set himself up perfectly, too!! The substitute seemingly made amends eleven minutes from time, bundling the ball home from close range after Horsley's quickly taken free-kick saw Mori strolling unchallenged through the Kingz defence to the byline, while referee Breeze was admonishing his marker, Jonathan Taylor, for the challenge which prompted the set-piece to be awarded. The goal was later ruled out by the officials for this reason, but at the time, the referee awarded the strike, and play resumed with the Kingz kicking off from the half-way mark … !!! Utting produced another top stop from his seemingly limitless repertoire to thwart Mrdja three minutes later, after Hassell had got to the byline, while the same player was again the provider in the 85th minute, Harnwell this time the beneficiary, as Hassell's corner picked him out. The defender's header was matched by Mark Atkinson, who headed off the line for another corner. Hassell played this short to Gumprecht, who let fly from thirty yards with an absolute screamer, which crashed into the net off the underside of the crossbar - 5-0 to Perth. Both Paul Urlovic and Jackson forced saves from Petkovic before the final whistle, as the Kingz sought a late consolation goal, but Mrdja almost made it six goals with virtually the last kick of the match, firing inches over the bar from the edge of the penalty area after Mori, who himself deserved a goal for his impressive front-running performance, had again created the chance. Perth's win keeps them well within sight of league leaders and defending champions Olympic Sharks in the race for the premiership crown, while the Kingz third successive defeat leaves them well entrenched in the battle for the play-off positions with ten games left to play. Perth:          Petkovic; Pryce (Coyne, 75), Byrnes, Harnwell, Miller; Horsley (Faria, 79), Gumprecht, Junior (booked, 6), Hassell; Mori, Despotovski (Mrdja, 43) Kingz:          Utting; Perry (Beldham, 59), Miyazawa, Taylor (booked, 53), Young (Campbell, 59); Vlahos, Jackson, Atkinson, Burton (Turner, 46); Urlovic, Ngata (booked, 19) Referee:     Matthew Breeze