If you’re going to go out, go out with a bang, and South Melbourne certainly ensured that the Football Kingz home campaign for the 2000-01 National Soccer League season concluded with a resounding thump at Ericsson Stadium on Anzac Day. The league leaders clinched the championship phase of the competition in some style, coming from behind to inflict the heaviest-ever defeat on the New Zealand entry, 6-1 the scoreline. It’s a scoreline more appropriate for a tennis match - it certainly doesn’t do the Kingz justice. They attacked with gusto and no little effort throughout this richly entertaining encounter, but the bounce of the ball simply didn’t favour them. The visitors, on the other hand, ruthlessly capitalised on the home team’s defensive deficiencies, and in doing so, brought to an emphatic conclusion the Kingz hopes of joining South Melbourne in the play-off phase of the competition, the final make-up of which will be finalised after the last round of championship matches this Sunday. The Kingz will have to lift themselves for their final game, at Sydney United, where a win will ensure the Auckland-based club of equalling their eighth placing of last season, their inaugural one in this competition. It’s not out of the question, and certainly won’t be if they perform as they did in the opening twenty minutes of this match in particular. Quite simply, they started superbly. Chris Jackson robbed (!) Con Boutsianis of the ball in the fifth minute, and sent Dennis Ibrahim racing off down the left, Mehmet Durakovic left in his slipstream. His deep cross arced beyond the recalled Aaron Silva into Jonathan Perry’s path, but the midfielder was unable to cap his fiftieth NSL appearance with a trademark thunderbolt strike, sending his shot sailing over the crossbar. Four minutes later, Gerard Davis released Aaran Lines down the left, although he had to work hard to keep the ball from crossing the touchline initially. His cross picked out Ibrahim arriving at the near post, and his powerful downward header looked in for all money, until Chris Jones produced a fine diving save to turn the ball to safety. The ‘keeper was beaten all ends up two minutes later, however, as the Kingz opened the scoring, much to the delight of a crowd which appeared far bigger than the reported attendance of 8728 - the club’s biggest gate in the country’s biggest city. It was something of a comedy of errors in Souths’ rearguard, as they attempted to deal with another Lines’ cross. Patrick Kisnorbo headed the ball skywards, and the incoming Perry beat Jones to the dropping sphere in the air, and headed it goalwards. Simon Colosimo was on hand to clear, but directed the ball against Kisnorbo, to which crowd favourite Silva said ‘Thanks very much’ and slammed home from one yard, before running towards the boys and girls in Bloc5 to celebrate the moment. Souths were reeling, and they were lucky they weren’t two goals down two minutes later. Davis’ free-kick to the far post was headed wide by Michael Cartwright, while a further four minutes had elapsed when Davis and Ibrahim worked a fine opening down the left before the latter whipped in a cross for Silva, which he turned into Perry’s path. Jones was relieved to see the shot thunder narrowly past his left-hand upright. Somewhat against the run of play, the visitors levelled matters in the eighteenth minute. Goran Lozanovski’s corner was flicked on at the near post by Kisnorbo, who beat Julio Cuello in the air. The ball found Boutsianis lurking unmarked near the far post, and he steered his header across to Val Kalogeracos, who headed home from close range. Needing to win, the Kingz continued to press for goals, coming close to regaining the lead within seconds of Souths’ equaliser. Another Davis free-kick this time picked out Ibrahim, whose header left Jones rooted to the spot, but again bounced inches wide. In the 23rd minute, the Kingz were breaking out of defence through Levent Osman when referee Derek Rugg waved Colosimo back onto the park following treatment to a knock.       The returning player swooped onto Osman’s crossfield pass, much to the disbelief of its intended target, Perry, and strode forward, linking with Lozanovski to provide Andy Vlahos with a cross-shot opportunity which had Cuello flailing in vain as it curled across the face of goal and past the far post. Five minutes later, Souths, who had hardly been in the game as an attacking force, hit the front, a lead they were never to relinquish. Vlahos led the charge, but with supporting team-mates in offside positions, sensibly opted to hold onto possession until they realised the errors of their ways. In the meantime, Vlahos evaded two challenges before slipping the ball through for Boutsianis. His low first-time cross to the near post saw Kalogeracos arriving at pace, and he deftly steered the ball home past Cuello, despite the close attentions of Sean Douglas, the Kingz captain for the evening, in the absence of the suspended Harry Ngata and the injured Mark Burton. With the Kingz reeling from this setback, the visitors took charge of the game, Lozanovski and Boutsianis both going close in the next fifteen minutes, with the former’s efforts forcing Cuello to produce good saves to keep the score at 2-1 in Souths‘ favour. The home team weathered the storm and came roaring back before the break, desperately searching for an equaliser. How they failed to get it in the 43rd minute defies logic! Ibrahim had an outstanding game, and this time showed Colosimo a clean pair of heels with a powerful surge down the right. His low cross was too good for Jones to cope with, but just too far in front of the pint-sized figure of Silva, who slid in at the far post in a desperate attempt to steer the ball

home - were he a foot taller, it would have been 2-2, no question! Still the Kingz pressed. Osman fed Perry, after Ibrahim and Silva had led the charge once more. Perry’s cross for the taller striker was plucked off his head by Jones, whose subsequent throw-out put his side under further pressure. Lines and Davis worked their way down the left, the former crossing for Osman, who was arriving at pace near the penalty spot. His shot screamed inches past the post, leaving the Kingz to head to the changing rooms with just one goal to show for their efforts. How that was the case is anyone’s guess!! Souths weren’t complaining, mind, being just forty-five minutes away from winning the championship phase of the competition, and avenging in kind the Kingz achievement of doing the double on the then defending champions in the New Zealand club’s inaugural NSL campaign, 1999-2000. The alarm bells were certainly ringing early in the second spell, however, as the Kingz put Souths under the cosh once more, their bid to stay alive in the play-offs race looking less likely with every passing minute. Jones pulled off a superb save to tip Osman’s twenty-five yard rocket round the post two minutes into the second spell, while half-time substitute Noah Hickey sent a bullet header whizzing over the crossbar two minutes later, after Lines and Ibrahim had combined on the left flank. Still they pressed, Jackson leading the charge in the 58th minute. Via Davis, the ball reached Perry on the right, who crossed towards the far post, Hickey his prime target. The retreating Steve Iosifidis’ timely intervention kept Souths in front on this occasion. Moments later, Silva and Che Bunce combined on the right, with the resulting cross again headed over by Hickey. It was to be Silva’s last act of the match, and he was given a great send-off by the fans, only for the player who took over from him in attack to be the recipient of a quite fantastic reception - a rather popular chap, is Wynton Rufer!! Souths were well aware of how Rufer had turned the Kingz previous match, against defending champions Wollongong Wolves, in his side’s favour just five days previously. They had no intention of being similarly treated, so went about ensuring that the wily Kingz player-coach wouldn’t get the chance to turn this game on its head in the best way possible. Within twelve minutes, Souths had made the game safe. In the 66th minute, a Zeljko Susa pass split the Kingz defence asunder, and left the hat-trick hunting Kalogeracos one-on-one with Cuello. The ’keeper stood his ground on this occasion and saved well, but could do little about matters seconds later. Susa was again the king-pin, his perceptive pass opening the Kingz up once more. Vlahos was the beneficiary this time, and though Cuello parried his first shot, he had no chance of stopping the rebound - 3-1. Unperturbed, the Kingz charged back at their guests, Rufer heading Perry’s cross inches wide in the 68th minute, then, after Ibrahim and Lines had linked on the left, flicking the latter’s cross into Hickey’s path, some four yards from goal. Inexplicably, he lifted the ball over the top, the attentions of three opponents proving effective in their bid to put him off. Souths responded by scoring again, their 73rd minute strike resulting from poor marking at a corner. Vlahos’ delivery picked out Colosimo arriving at the near post, and he beat Cuello all ends up in the air to send the ball crashing into the roof of the net - 4-1. The Kingz weren’t beaten yet, however, as twice within a minute, Osman and Rufer both went down in the penalty area with, it seemed, a little assistance to help them on their way. "Penalty!" bayed the crowd on both occasions, but referee Rugg was having nothing of it - indeed, he issued his only card of the match to Osman for diving!! With nine minutes left, the result was put beyond doubt by Colosimo. Latching onto another defence-splitting through ball from Susa - whenever he got the ball in the last half hour, it seemed to spell danger for the Kingz! - Colosimo rounded the advancing Cuello and tucked home Souths’ fifth goal of the game in stylish manner. Ibrahim and Rufer, with a vicious volley at the death, went close to improving the Kingz side of the scoreline before the ninety minutes were up, but Souths’ final contribution to the game was the sort of goal which deserves numerous television replays - it was sumptuous!! Appropriately, the marksman was Susa, the thorn in the Kingz side throughout a match which the home side certainly enjoyed the better of. Picking up possession half-way inside the Kingz half, he strode forward, all the time assessing his options. As he approached the edge of the penalty area, defenders seemingly covering his every move, he executed the one option which no amount of defending will ever deny - the inch-perfect chip. With Cuello scrambling, and defenders looking on, the back-spin-laden ball arced up and over the retreating goalkeeper, and dropped inches under the crossbar to clinch the championship for Souths, end the Kingz play-off hopes once and for all in emphatic if undeserving fashion, and complete the scoring in quite some style - 6-1, game, set and match!! Kingz:          Cuello; Bunce, Douglas, Cartwright (Hickey, 46); Perry, Davis, Jackson (Bluhm, 71), Osman (booked, 77), Lines; Ibrahim, Silva (Rufer, 61) Souths:     Jones; Durakovic, Kisnorbo, Colosimo; Iosifidis, Susa, Boutsianis, Panopoulos, Vlahos (Trimboli, 78); Kalogeracos (Anastasiadis, 75), Lozanovski (Coveny, 73) Referee:     Derek Rugg