Adelaide City Force continued their unbeaten start to the National Soccer League season on October 27, recording their first win at Hindmarsh Stadium since January when downing the Football Kingz 2-1 to climb to second spot on the league ladder.      The visitors' travel arrangements had left them cooling their heels at the venue for the thick end of four hours, but they were the first side to settle when the action got under way, Chris Jackson testing the waters with a twenty-five yard angled drive which fizzed past Daniel Godley's right-hand post.      It was the start of a tidy but all too brief spell of superiority for the Kingz, with Chilean international Patricio Almendra directing operations.      His fourteenth minute cross for Paul Urlovic saw the well-performed Gianluca Lagati clearing off the line to deny the striker's attempts to crown his fiftieth NSL appearance for the club with a goal.      Soon after, further crosses from Almendra provided opportunities for Andy Vlahos and Harry Ngata to capitalise, but neither player was able to do so.      Stung into action, Adelaide were quick to respond through Claudio Pelosi. Some delightful skill from the Italian presented the ball to Scott Tunbridge on a plate, but the striker lacked support, and was forced to shoot early, and wide, in the eighteenth minute.      Pelosi then curled a twenty yarder narrowly past James Bannatyne's right-hand post, before Hiroshi Miyazawa cleared off the striker's toes in the 24th minute, after a fine move which featured Ante Kovacevic, Aurelio Vidmar and the lively Tunbridge.      Two minutes later, the Force were denied the lead by a headed goal-line clearance from Mark Atkinson, who was well placed to deny Vidmar after Bannatyne had flapped horribly at Lucas Pantelis' inswinging corner.      It was all Adelaide by this stage, with Goran Lozanovski next to join in the fun. He scampered away down the right and arced a delightful cross to the far post for the incoming Tunbridge. With the flat-footed Bannatyne looking on, the striker, with the goalpost fast looming, was unable to direct his header on target from close range.      In the 32nd minute, the home team produced the move of the match thus far, a splendid eight-man raid which began on the edge of their own penalty area, and culminated on the Kingz penalty spot, the one area of the pitch which was completely bereft of turf.      It proved costly for Pelosi, Tunbridge's angled pass bobbling just as he looked to place the ball wide of Bannatyne. The resulting miss looked bad for the striker, but given this is a football-only stadium, a few sideways looks at the groundsman wouldn't be out of order.      Unperturbed, Adelaide had but sixty seconds to wait before deservedly opening the scoring. A quickly taken free-kick by Lozanovski caught the Kingz defence napping, and Vidmar took great delight in slamming home the volley past a startled Bannatyne, leaving the visitors to moan belatedly at referee Craig Zetter, in Raf de Gregorio's case a little too loudly.      The Kingz defensive arrangements were a shambles in this match, with Atkinson the only member of the quartet - Bannatyne included - worth his salt over the ninety minutes. He it was who was forced to steer the ball over his own crossbar in the 37th minute, after Pelosi's angled ball in from the right had gone beyond the hard-working Tunbridge. Two minutes later, and somewhat against the run of play, it must be said, the Kingz drew level, thanks to that man of many tricks, Almendra. Outsmarting two opponents near the edge of Adelaide's penalty area by the right-hand byline, he worked his way into the eighteen yard box, only to be felled by Mike Valkanis. After much gamesmanship from players on both

sides, Almendra stepped up and slammed home from the spot to level the scores. Soon after, Ngata and Tunbridge exchanged efforts on goal, while Almendra and Urlovic also chanced their arm from distance to no avail. Tunbridge then went close, Bannatyne saving well at the striker's feet, as he looked to guide home a delightfully angled cross to the near post by Lozanovski. Right on half-time, the Kingz squandered a glorious chance to take the lead with their best move of the match. Debutant James Pritchett - and a most impressive one at that - was instrumental in a fine move which culminated in Vlahos bursting into the penalty area and whipping a low cross across the face of goal which was just too far in front of the incoming Ngata and Urlovic, Valkanis coming to Adelaide's rescue on this occasion. The Kingz made a change at half-time, replacing Urlovic with Darren Young. While no reflection on the incoming player, for some reason, the necessary changes to the team's structure never gelled, and it meant the visitors rarely looked like building on their first half efforts. Given they went 2-1 down just seven minutes into the second spell, it proved crucial. And, like the first goal they conceded, the Kingz had only themselves to blame for this one, too. Jonathan Taylor had not had the best of games, but his back-pass to Bannatyne on this occasion was under-hit. Pelosi stole in and, despite Atkinson's presence, found the space in which to steer the ball across the penalty area. Any one of three Adelaide players could have steered home into an empty net, and, fittingly, given his efforts, Tunbridge was the chief beneficiary. The unchallenged figure of Vidmar headed a Pantelis corner wide of the mark soon after, as the Kingz wilted in trying conditions. The visitors rallied briefly, however, with Ngata shooting tamely after a fine burst from deep on the hour mark. Six minutes later, Vlahos - the first time this season when he has really shown the attacking form of which he is capable - set off down the left on receipt of a Jackson pass, the midfielder having robbed Lozanovski. Past one, then another - this was vintage Vlahos. A third opponent loomed, but the burly wide-man beat him, too. His shot beat the advancing Godley, but Lagati was on hand to clear what would have been a splendid individual goal off the line. Frequent substitutions dominated the remainder of the match, save for a couple of Adelaide raids which threatened to increase their margin of victory. But Bannatyne stood firm to deny Tunbridge in a one-on-one situation in the 71st minute, while the Kingz 'keeper saved low to his left to deny Carl Veart six minutes from time. Adelaide were well worth their victory, however, one which took them into second place, albeit with two matches of the round still to take place. The Kingz, however, lacked the fighting spirit which saw them twice come from behind to hold league leaders Olympic Sharks a week ago, and they were fortunate not to finish the match with ten players for the second week running - substitute Steven Turner's flying double-footed 86th minute lunge on Valkanis earned only a yellow card from referee Zetter, when red cards have been issued for lesser offences. Adelaide:  Godley; Lagati (Karlovic, 82), Kovacevic, Pellegrini, Valkanis; Lozanovski (Kemp, 70), Veart (booked, 74), Vidmar, Pantelis; Pelosi (booked, 54), Tunbridge (Smeltz, 76) Kingz:     Bannatyne; Atkinson, Miyazawa, Taylor (Turner, 76); Pritchett, Jackson (booked, 45), de Gregorio (booked, 34) (Dempsey, 61), Vlahos; Almendra, Ngata, Urlovic (Young, 46) Referee:   Craig Zetter