A solid performance from Northern Spirit saw them conquer the Football Kingz 3-1 at a rainswept Ericsson Stadium in their deferred fourteenth round National Soccer League encounter on February 27, but the visitors' cause was made easier by the home team's reduction to ten men just before half-time, when Raf de Gregorio was sent off for his second bookable offence.      The Kingz began well, with de Gregorio heading a James Pritchett cross over the bar in the third minute, then hitting the crossbar with a stinging thirty yard drive nine minutes later, not long after Steven Turner had tested Paul Henderson from distance after fine off-the-ball movement by Chris Jackson down the left to support Andy Vlahos.      By the time de Gregorio hit the woodwork, however, the Kingz found themselves a goal down, and yet again, it was poor defending which was at the heart of the home team's concession.      Alex Wilkinson, who had a solid, all-round game for Spirit, joined in their first raid of substance in the ninth minute, latching onto the ball on half-way and setting off on a run downfield. No challenges were forthcoming as he strode forward, and his angled cross found Kiwi striker Brent Fisher lurking completely unmarked between Kingz defenders.      The All Whites' Confederations Cup squad candidate steered his header wide of Michael Utting, and a familiar tale looked set for another re-run for the 1057 home faithful who braved the wet weather to take in this tussle.      Misplaced passing, particularly by the home side, became a feature of the match, as the unseasonal conditions took their toll on promising moves. But Spirit seemed to adjust that little bit quicker, and came close to doubling their lead before the half-hour mark.      After Alex Tobin had headed a John Hutchinson corner over the crossbar in the 24th minute, referee Neil Fox allowed play to continue following a crunching Con Anthopoulos tackle on Stewart Petrie - Kingz coach Ken Dugdale later mused on why the official didn't afford the Kingz the benefit of the advantage rule on a couple of occasions, instead of stopping play to award the home team a free-kick when they were already in possession.      On this occasion, Hutchinson was the chief beneficiary of the application of advantage, and his subsequent cross picked out the incoming Andrew McDermott, only for Utting to save at the midfielder's feet.      Two minutes later, de Gregorio was in the limelight again, this time for all the wrong reasons, as he was rightly booked for shirt-pulling. That the subsequent free-kick was some thirty-five yards from goal mattered not to Vuko Tomasevic, who let fly with a rocket which flew hard and low towards the target. Utting pawed it to safety.      This sparked the Kingz into reviving their earlier attacking forays, and at long last, the home team produced a set-piece from a corner which almost paid dividends. Patricio Almendra delivered the ball to the near post, with Harry Ngata's flick-on dropping perfectly for the unmarked Anthopoulos, who powered his far post header goalwards.      The combined presence of Hutchinson and Henderson thwarted this effort on the half-hour, with Petrie on hand to head the danger to certain safety.      Six minutes later, a delightful one-two between Ngata and Almendra saw the former charging into the Spirit penalty area. His curling effort was parried by Henderson, but no-one in a black shirt was following in to capitalise.      Five minutes after Tomasevic had sent a thirty yard free-kick flashing over the crossbar, Mr Fox was reaching for his yellow card once more. As de Gregorio had already received it, his latest act - a tackle from behind - meant that the red card followed the yellow one on this occasion, and the midfielder was heading for an early shower.      Ten men nearly became nine for the Kingz on the stroke of half-time, as a decidedly rash challenge on McDermott by Mauro Donoso gifted Northern Spirit a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area - and how the Chilean defender avoided a card of any colour on this occasion defies logic!      Petrie rolled the set-piece to Ian Ferguson, the former Glasgow Rangers midfielder who spent the majority of this match directing traffic, so in control of proceedings was he. On this occasion, he let fly, and a deft deflection off Hutchinson diverted the ball past the diving figure of Utting but against the base of his right-hand post. The ricochet cannoned off the goalkeeper to safety.      The second half was barely five minutes old when

Spirit struck a second goal. The ten men, who introduced Jeremy Christie and Mark Beldham to the fray at half-time, failed to clear a Hutchinson corner, and Petrie pounced to lash home into the roof of the net from eight yards. At 2-0, the game was up for the Kingz, who were left chasing shadows for much of the second spell as the Ferguson-inspired Spirit determined the direction and pace of play. On the hour, only a fine flying save by Utting prevented Noel Spencer's twenty-five yard strike from finding the target, while three minutes later, Ferguson and McDermott combined to reward the overlapping run of Wilkinson. His cross from the right picked out Adam Kwasnik, the substitute steering his header wide of the mark. The Kingz had hardly featured as an attacking force in the second spell, but in the 64th minute, should have pulled a goal back, after Pritchett and Beldham combined down the right. The latter's flick was pounced on by Ngata, who evaded a challenge before shooting straight at Henderson from the edge of the penalty area. Spirit responded with a third goal, and again, a lack of defensive concentration was at fault. Jonathan Perry conceded a free-kick some thirty yards out from goal, and while there appeared no danger at first, Utting's calls for a defensive wall were heeded too late. Before the members of the barrier had time to gather, Tomasevic let fly, and Utting could only parry his drive. The goalkeeper recovered superbly to divert Petrie's effort from the rebound to seeming safety, but Wilkinson gathered possession and picked out Kwasnik with a cross to the near post, and the striker darted between defenders to stab the ball home. At 3-0, and against ten men, Spirit had the points in the bag, and slipped into cruise control. A Vlahos free-kick caused Henderson little concern, but Utting wasn't afforded similar treatment by a Donoso header at the other end of the park in the 74th minute - the goalkeeper tipped his team-mate's attempted clearance over the crossbar, after Hutchinson had fired over a teasing cross. Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Kingz weren't lacking in spirit, and the biggest cheer of the night came in the 81st minute, as the home team scored just their fourth goal in eleven games. The chief celebrant was Beldham, who opened his account for the club with a cool finish from a tight angle, after beating a defender and rounding Henderson on receipt of a pass from the battling figure of Vlahos, who worked hard to secure possession on this occasion. The goal gave the home side added impetus, and both Perry and Beldham went close to adding to their tally before the finish, the latter's last-minute effort being smothered by Henderson. That the Kingz should have scored a second goal, in stoppage time, goes without saying. That they didn't challenges just about every scientific law ever written!! A splendid cross-field ball from Donoso found Beldham homing in on the far post. The substitute directed his header beyond Henderson and across the face of goal towards Christie, who was in the shadows of the crossbar, and appeared to only have to touch the ball home to celebrate his first goal for the club. How the former Junior All Whites captain ended up in the back of the net while the ball headed for the advertising hoardings probably sums up the Kingz entire season - total frustration. Not that Spirit minded one iota. They now head to Melbourne Knights this Sunday knowing full well that their play-off prospects are very much theirs to determine. Three wins from their last three games will see their season extend beyond March 16. That is the last date of the Kingz campaign, and whether they end it with the dreaded wooden spoon for the second successive season is something they no longer have total control over, as bottom-placed Marconi Stallions, with a game in hand, can climb above their Kiwi rivals in the remaining days of the campaign. Kingz:          Utting; Perry, Anthopoulos, Donoso (booked, 75); Pritchett, Turner (Christie, 46 (booked, 70), Jackson (Van Steeden, 64), de Gregorio (booked, 27, 42 - sent-off), Vlahos; Ngata, Almendra (Beldham, 46) Spirit:          Henderson; Wilkinson, Watts, Tobin (Groves, 74), Tomasevic; McDermott (Richter, 74), Ferguson, Spencer, Hutchinson; Fisher (Kwasnik, 54), Petrie Referee:     Neil Fox