The Football Kingz scored their most emphatic win yet in the National Soccer League on January 26, crushing Perth Glory 4-1 at North Harbour Stadium to maintain their unbeaten run since the turn of the century. Admittedly, they were assisted by the indiscipline of the visitors, who covered themselves in anything but what their club's name would suggest en route to concluding the match with just nine players. Hamilton Thorp, for violent conduct in the 36th minute,  and Troy Halpin, whose two-footed lunge four minutes from time marred an otherwise impressive personal display, were the duo sent to the showers earlier than their contemporaries by referee Simon Micallef, who wielded the yellow card on eight occasions in response to as many moments of madness which fully merited such punishment. The Kingz enjoyed slightly the better of the early exchanges, Aaron Silva heading wide after just seven minutes, this despite the home team's ploy of playing a pint-sized twin strike force of the Chilean and Mark Elrick - how impressive was he in the targetman role? - against a significantly taller defensive combination. Perth were first to put the ball in the net, however, but Con Boutsianis' fourteenth minute strike was ruled out for an infringement by Alistair Edwards on the back-from-injury Michael Utting, after a pinpoint cross from Halpin tested the 'keeper's confidence under the high ball. Both goalkeepers were in shot-saving action just before the half-hour, Utting saving from a spectacular Jamie Harnwell effort which resulted from a Robert Trajkovski cross in the 27th minute, moments after Jason Petkovic had pawed an Ivan Vicelich drive to safety, the defender having rampaged into Perth's penalty area after Robbie Middleby and Marcus Stergiopoulos had engineered the opening. Utting was beaten all ends up by an uproarious Halpin free-kick in the 32nd minute, the midfielder's spanking effort deserving better fate than to cannon off both the crossbar and far post and bounce back into play - a stroke of luck for the Kingz which suggested that maybe this would be their night. Sure enough, after Thorp's premature departure from the fray, Elrick, starting his first game for the Kingz, marked the occasion with an absolute snorter of a strike five minutes before the break, thundering home a venomous twenty-five yarder after Dino Mennillo, with a measured crossfield pass, and the ever-lively Middleby had combined to carve open the outnumbered Perth combination. The Kingz advantage was short-lived, however, Halpin levelling matters with virtually the last kick of the half. Edwards provided the pass which allowed him to glide past some half-hearted challenges before scything inside and unleashing a precise twenty-yard grasscutter which left the clearly ring-rusty Utting - this was his first game in two months - clutching at air. Seconds after Utting was again left counting his blessings after an Edwards drive rattled the crossbar

from twenty yards, the home side regained the lead in the 55th minute. Elrick and Middleby were Perth's initial tormentors, but it was Mennillo who proved to be the true thorn in their side, lashing home from twenty-five yards on receipt of a measured pass from Harry Ngata, who had a storming opening half-hour before the efforts of playing his third game in six days - two for the All Whites against Korea - began to take their toll. The Halpin-inspired Perth combination went in search of another equaliser, but they failed to truly test Utting for the remainder of the match, largely due to the Kingz offside trap, which performed flawlessly throughout proceedings. Instead, it was the Kingz who looked the side more likely to score again, and were it not for Scott Miller's vigilance in the 63rd minute, Silva would have done so, after Stergiopoulos, Ngata - his was a magnificent defence-splitting pass - and Mennillo had combined to carve open Perth's defence in fine fashion. Soon after, Middleby was denied the goal his efforts deserved by Petkovic, whose goal again came under threat in the 69th minute, Stergiopoulos this time the scourge of Glory's rearguard. He wriggled his way through three tackles before going down inside the penalty area as another challenge came in. Cries of "Penalty!" abounded from the 3,878 faithful, who quickly rounded on referee Micallef in the time-honoured manner, as the official meted out due punishment to the perpetrator of the crime, a booking which means Stergiopoulos misses the Kingz next match, a visit to Brisbane. Mennillo will be keeping him company on this side of the Tasman after letting his frustrations get the better of him in the 79th minute, but his disappointment quickly turned to delight three minutes later, as the Kingz crowned their display with a third goal eight minutes from time. Middleby was again involved, a deft pass with the outside of the right foot to Silva allowing Mennillo to surge forward from deep. The Chilean striker rolled the ball neatly into his colleague's path, the midfielder coolly clipping the ball beyond the advancing Petkovic to all but clinch the points for the Kingz. After Halpin's dismissal, and a vital save by Petkovic, who hurtled off his line to foil Che Bunce as he charged through on goal, Silva wrapped up the points in stoppage time, prodding home from close range at the second attempt following a goalmouth scramble inspired by the promptings of Mennillo and Middleby, easily the Kingz best in this, their biggest NSL victory to date. Kingz:  Utting, Bunce (booked, 86), Jones, Vicelich (Perry, 66), Middleby, Ngata (van Steeden, 64), Osman, Mennillo (booked, 79), Stergiopoulos (booked, 69), Silva, Elrick (Riddle, 73) Perth:  Petkovic, Harnwell, Naven (booked, 42), Thorp (booked, 24, 36 - sent off), Trajkovski, Halpin (sent off, 86), Buljan (Carbone, 71), Edgar (booked, 36), Miller, Boutsianis, Edwards (booked, 14) (Afkos, 78) Referee:  Simon Micallef