A magnificently executed pivoting hip-turn volley  by Wynton Rufer just four minutes from time at Breakers Stadium secured the Football Kingz a richly deserved point in their 1-1 draw with Australian National Soccer League rivals Newcastle on October 22. The 6045-strong crowd, and, doubtless, many more watching on television screens on both sides of the Tasman, were rendered awe-struck by a prodigious strike from Oceania's Player of the Century. As fellow substitute Marcus Stergiopoulos' cross fell behind him, the Kingz player-coach turned, pivoted on his right foot and unleashed a left-foot volley which bulleted into the bottom right-hand corner of Bob Catlin's goal, leaving Newcastle's goalkeeper rooted to the spot. It was fitting reward for the visiting New Zealand-based side, who proceeded to dominate the match against their unbeaten opponents, after getting off to the worst start possible. Barely five minutes had elapsed when the Kingz defence was caught napping at a Victor Trpcevski free-kick. The Newcastle midfielder's initial effort cannoned into the wall, but he made better use of the rebound, guiding it over the gathered throngs to pick out the well-timed run of the smallest man on the park, John Buonavoglia. The tall timber in the Kingz rearguard reacted too late to thwart the little's man dart forward, and the speedy Buonavoglia coolly picked his spot beyond Michael Utting to open the scoring. Rattled, the Kingz were fortunate not to fall two goals behind inside the next five minutes. Travis Dodds' early ball down the right sent Andy Harper scampering forward, and the shaven-headed striker delivered a first-time cross to the near post which coincided with the arrival of Greg Owens, whose half-volley under pressure narrowly cleared the crossbar. From the resulting goal-kick, Buonavoglia was gifted an opportunity to notch his second of the night, but blazed over from a similar position to that from which he had opened the scoring just five minutes prior. The Kingz responded with a sprightly attack of their own, led by Fred de Jong. His promptings encouraged first Robbie Middleby, then Jonathan Perry to probe Newcastle's right-hand flank, and the latter found an opening from which to deliver a first-time cross. He picked out the head of the impressive Levent Osman, who guided the ball beyond Catlin but against the base of the right-hand post. Aaron Silva couldn't react quickly enough to guide the rebound beyond the grateful goalkeeper, who smothered on the line. After Newcastle's best performer, Mark Wilson, had cracked a twenty-five yard volleyed snapshot narrowly past the upright, the home team lost of their key performers to injury, Owens ending his evening in a leg brace after being stretchered off in the sixteenth minute. His pace had been causing the Kingz a fair few problems, as they struggled to cope with Newcastle's direct approach - their reliance on the long ball and the counter-attack was a stark contrast to the cultured approach play of the Kingz, of which plenty was seen as the match wore on. The home side continued to hold sway despite Owens' premature departure, however, and only a vital block by Perry prevented Wilson from doubling Newcastle's advantage in the seventeenth minute, after a lively surge by Dodd. Five minutes later, Roberto Angievski slipped a nice pass down the left to allow the overlapping fullback Andy Roberts room in which to send over a teasing cross into the near post area. David Moya's timely headed clearance denied Harper a scoring chance. Having held out Newcastle's advances to double their tally, the Kingz went about finding a way in which to level matters. Initially, they played the home team at their own game, and very nearly gained parity within minutes of doing so. Utting's long clearance was flicked on by both de Jong and Silva for the free-running Osman, who deftly took the ball around the advancing Catlin and seemed certain to score.

Roberts was having none of it, however, and did enough to prevent the midfielder from levelling matters, blocking Osman's attempts to score before Catlin recovered to retrieve possession. Two minutes later, the goalkeeper made a splendid one-handed save low to his right to quell the threat posed by a well-struck first-time volley from the effervescent Dino Mennillo, following a made-to-measure cross from the right by Perry. Slowly but surely, the Kingz gained the ascendancy, showing a most encouraging willingness to patiently and purposefully probe for an opening, rather than revert to the tried and trusted, but technically far inferior, 'hit-and-hope' approach. Certainly, there were times when passes were overhit or underhit, and other occasions when a greater degree of understanding between the players concerned would have seen a move's continuation, as opposed to its conclusion. On these occasions, Newcastle, with their counter-attacking thrusts, looked dangerous, and just before half-time, they came close to scoring again. Che Bunce's fine recovering tackle foiled Buonavoglia, after the defender's blunder had let in the pint-sized speedster. The Kingz countered through their Australian connection, Middleby's measured crossfield pass picking out Mennillo's run from deep. His diving header flew well wide - it deserved better. Come the second spell, and Newcastle still looked lively, Buonavoglia in particular early on. But gradually their lack of stamina began to tell, so much so that they had just two shots on goal in the entire second spell, both from the boot of Angievski. That said, a vicious bounce denied Wilson in the seventieth minute, as he ghosted in on the blindside of the Kingz defence to receive a pass from Peter Juchniewicz. This came seven minutes after Newcastle's best move of the half, which substitute Juchniewicz was also at the heart of. His off-the-ball running gave Buonavoglia the room in which to move onto Harper's precise pass, but the striker's cross, targeting Angievski, was cut out by the retreating Osman. These moments apart, the Kingz held court. Put clear by Mennillo in the 49th minute, Silva, with de Jong in support, and only the goalkeeper and a defender to beat, opted to go for goal, and missed it miserably! De Jong was next to chance his arm, a fine volley on the turn - after Mennillo and Rufer, who had entered the fray in the 56th minute, had teamed up on the left - being denied by Catlin, whose excellent positioning made what would have been a difficult save for an average goalkeeper look decidedly easy in the 66th minute. Three minutes later, the same trio combined again, de Jong firing wide on this occasion. Mere seconds had elapsed when Osman picked out the overlapping Mennillo with a peach of a pass, but the Kingz best performer on the day drilled his shot across the face of goal. For all their possession, however, the Kingz seemed set to return home as undeserving losers. The look on Catlin's face as he smothered Chris Jackson's grasscutter eleven minutes from time was of the "You'll have to produce something special to beat me tonight!" variety. Seven minutes later, something special did beat him all ends up, and secured the Kingz their first draw. Indeed, they were a coat of paint away from notching back-to-back wins, Mennillo's rising twenty yard drive just grazing the top of the crossbar in stoppage time. But 1-1 was their lot, in a match sensibly officiated by referee Con Diomis. Newcastle:  Catlin; Pryce, McManus, Trpcevski (Juchniewicz, 60), Roberts; Dodd (Tomich, 80), Wilson, Owens (Sprod, 16), Angievski; Harper, Buonavoglia Kingz:  Utting; Perry, Bunce, Moya, Vicelich (booked, 90); Middleby (Stergiopoulos, 80), Ngata (Jackson, 50), Osman, Mennillo (booked, 21); de Jong, Silva (Rufer, 56) Referee:  Con Diomis