For the second time this season, a late equaliser ensured the Football Kingz of a 3-3 draw on home turf in the Australian National Soccer League, as the Melbourne Knights left North Harbour Stadium with a point to their name following a highly entertaining, incident-packed encounter on December 17. The pick of the early opportunities fell the Kingz way, with Levent Osman - after a fine move involving Marcus Stergiopoulos, Fred de Jong, Dino Mennillo and Ivan Vicelich - and Wynton Rufer both going close inside the first five minutes, though only the latter's headed effort forced Martin John to produce a save. After Alex Kiratzoglou had imitated Osman in sending a looping header over the crossbar, Rufer sent a twenty-five yard effort flashing past John's left-hand post in the eighteenth minute, by which time the Kingz were having great difficulty penetrating the Knights' well-marshalled offside trap. Melbourne came desperately close to opening the scoring two minutes later. Kiratzoglou's corner was headed clear by Rufer to Mark Silic, who cleverly lifted the ball over the heads of the charging Kingz defence into the path of Adrian Cervinski. He quickly brought the ball under control before unleashing a shot which deflected off Che Bunce straight to Jason Batty. John produced a superb fingertip save to deny Rufer from a free-kick in the 24th minute, the goalkeeper denying Oceania's Player of the Century five minutes later when punching clear a cross from the impressive Stergiopoulos which was intended for the Kingz player-coach. Both Silic, with a free-kick, and Cervinski, after combining with the lively Kiratzoglou, fired tame shots at Batty's goal around the half-hour mark. The goalkeeper was untroubled on both occasions, but that was not the case in the 35th minute, when Ivan Kelic cut in from the left and unleashed a ferocious angled drive from twenty yards which arrowed across the diving custodian and into the far corner of the net to open the scoring for the visitors. Mennillo and Michael Reda - this a cleverly disguised chip which had Batty back-pedalling, after a Kelic shot had been blocked - were narrowly astray soon after, before Lee Jones sparked a fine Kingz raid down the left which was to lead to the equaliser a minute before the interval. Robbie Middleby, playing his fiftieth game in the NSL, was the recipient of Jones' ball forward, and he played the sphere into the path of the galloping Mennillo, who was sent tumbling to the ground just after entering the penalty area by a mis-timed Jason Vukadin challenge. Referee Gerry Connolly had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot, from where Harry Ngata sent John the wrong way. Moments later, Mennillo was on the burst once more when he went for a tumble with two opponents in close attendance. The whistle blew and up galloped referee Connolly, yellow card in hand. To the disbelief of the 3500 present, he brandished it at Mennillo, adjudging that the midfielder had dived, although television replays hinted that his fall had not been without some subtle assistance. The crowd's disbelief turned to howls of disapproval, as Mennillo's booking was his second of the match, meaning the Kingz were down to ten men for the entire second spell, which they started brightly, Osman's darting run past four opponents seeing him set up Rufer, who cracked a rasping drive over the angle just five minutes into the half. Six minutes later, the Knights silenced the home supporters with a well-taken second goal. While the Kingz defence admired Paul Magdic's deep cross to the far post, Kiratzoglou stole in and expertly guided the dropping sphere into the path of Kelic, whose diving header left Batty beaten all ends up and restored the visitors' advantage. Up against it now, both on the scoreboard and

numerically, the Kingz were there for the taking, and the Knights looked to do just that. Kelic was inches away with a shot on the turn on the hour, while after Bunce had just failed to connect with a spectacular attempt to volley home a Stergiopoulos cross, Magdic pounced on some hesitance by Vicelich to charge towards the target three minutes later. The Kingz defender was greatly relieved to see Batty pull off a fine save low to his left to prevent a further goal. Having been roundly booed by the crowd as he headed for the dressing rooms at half-time, referee Connolly found himself back on the home supporters' Christmas card list in the 68th minute, as he dismissed Dragi Nastevski for his second bookable offence. It must be said, however, that the Knights' midfielder was very harshly done by. Soon after, however, the official was public enemy number one once more. Stergiopoulos was having a splendid game, and underlined the fact with a superb ball over the defence which left Rufer one-on-one with John in the penalty area. Off his line the 'keeper hurtled, and down went Rufer, pole-axed. Up galloped referee Connolly once more. There was no doubt that it was a penalty, and Ngata duly converted it ... past John, who can consider himself extremely fortunate to have stayed on the pitch for committing an out-and-out professional foul - red cards have been issued for offences of far lesser magnitude this season, and one must question the consistency with which match officials, both in this area of the world and beyond, are applying the Laws of the Game. The scores were level for just six minutes. The ball ricocheted skywards off Stergiopoulos, as he foiled a Kelic-inspired attack, and dropped for Reda. Hs header foward saw the clearly offside Kelic - not the only such incident missed by local referee's assistant Alan Pedley in this encounter - guide the ball back to substitute Brandon Vassallo, who, two minutes after entering the fray, thumped the ball past Batty to put the Knights in front once more. After Vassallo had sent a twenty-five yarder flashing wide, back stormed the Kingz, John saving a Rufer effort at point-blank range after Jonathan Perry and de Jong had combined to good effect. Then de Jong was brought to earth in the act of shooting, but no penalty was forthcoming. Jones, after a Perry-led raid, and Vicelich were next to go close, the latter squaring the ball behind the on-rushing de Jong and Rufer when he looked certain to score himself. Middleby, too, was unable to capitalise. With four minutes remaining, the home team equalised. Stergiopoulos released Jones down the right, and his first-time cross was met by Perry, whose diving header bulleted past John inside the far post - 3-3, and how! In stoppage time, a Bunce cross was brilliantly controlled by Rufer, who set up Stu Riddle. The substitute's effort was deflected to safety, and away stormed the Knights, Vassallo leading the cavalry charge with three colleagues up in support, and just two Kingz defenders back to assist Batty. Going for glory enveloped Vassallo's mind, however, and Riki van Steeden's intervention was something upon which he hadn't bargained. It ensured a final 3-3 scoreline, both the visitors, who certainly didn't come to Auckland to defend, and the Kingz proving good value for the point apiece they acquired come the final whistle. Kingz:  Batty, Vicelich (Riddle, 85), Bunce, Jones, Stergiopoulos, Mennillo (booked, 12, 45 - sent off), Ngata, Osman (Perry, 51), Middleby (van Steeden, 85), de Jong, Rufer Melbourne:   John (booked, 69), Vukadin, Kovacevic, Banini, Nastevski (booked, 6, 68 - sent off), Silic (Vassalo, 74), Kiratzoglou, Cervinski, Rayher (Magdic, 46), Reda, Kelic Referee:  Gerry Connolly