In an eight (8) goal feast tonight Marconi fought their way to a morale-boosting win 5-3 over the Football Kingz. Five (5) of those goals came in an action packed last 20mins after Marconi dominated the first half but allowed the Kingz back into the game in the middle of the 2nd half.
The Football Kingz came away to Australia without a reserve keeper, and for most of the first half, it seemed, without their midfield. Coach Mike Petersen thought afterward that they also left behind any belief in themselves.
Marconi, after a solid draw in Wollongong and a hard fought game away in Perth, were expected to be tested at home for their small crowd.
Marconi Coach Lee Sterrey's young charges however ran 'rings around' the ponderous Kingz in the first half in a show of fluid passing football, and indeed were unlucky not to have been 4 gaols up at the break. They may have been if Norman Tome who got into several good attacking locations had passed to teammates in even better ones.
Staring with an attacking move by Kingz in which Angelo Costanzo 'barrelled' over a Kingz player just outside the box, by the 10th min mark Marconi were obviously having no trouble keeping possession and by-passing the Kingz midfield.
Royce Brownlie bustled through twice in 2 minutes and tested Michael Theoklitos in the Kingz goal.
In the 13th min Brendan Renaud knocked a curling cross into the area that superbly kept away from the defenders and Tome slammed a shot against the right upright.
The first goal came in the 23rd min when James Afkos got forward on the right and sent in an early cross over Brownlie straight to the head of Tome who had drifted in behind, and he made no mistake.
Chances did come to the Kingz however such as in the 25th min when Paul Urlovic got his head to the ball within range, it fell in front of Turnbull and took a nasty bounce which the keeper just held.
It was inevitable however that Marconi would score again and a minute later the ball was played across the defence and with two Kingz defenders marking each other Brownlie said thanks, and hit it cleanly into the net from the edge of the box.
Veteran NZ striker Wynton Rufer had a chance twice in 2 minutes with the best when he headed into the right upright.
As the half wore on the tempo dropped but John Maisano slammed one into the post after the 'pinball machine' in the Kingz defence deflected the ball his way.
A double substitution after the half time break gave the Kingz a bit better shape and freed Andy Vlahos up more on the left.
Marconi started as they had finished, with Brownlie and Tome getting into the box in the first few minutes, and a cross from Tome only prevented from reaching Afkos by a brave header by substitute Ngata.
The Kingz got back into the game with John Markovski given room to distribute and team up with Vlahos.
In the 64th minute Dominic Longo put himself under pressure and lost the ball when outnumbered deep in his own half. Urlovic found himself free in the area and slotted the ball home.
Tome was pulled by Sterrey but inexplicably so was Maisano who had been their best until then.
Marconi pressured back and after a melee in the area, the ball came to Shane Webb who volleyed a lob over the keeper to regain the balance.
Three (3) minutes later the Kingz were back in attack and the ball came out to Levent Osman whose volley from 30m staggered onlookers.
Marconi try to close what they had but attacked, with Kevo Gulesserian intercepting a ball in the area and neatly flicking it toward goal, alas to no effect.
Again, Marconi was caught at the back and this time Costanzo grabbed Rufer's leg as he tried to get away a shot.
The resulting free kick in the 87th minute from 20m was smacked by 'Jonesy', big John Markovski, straight into the top right corner giving Turnbull no chance and squaring the score.
If Kingz thought 'that was that', they had to think again when in extra time Sasa Radulovic scored from the rebound off a Gulesserian strike.
The Marconi fans had hardly stopped celebrating this unaccustomed situation when Gulesserian waltzed into the area on the left, held off 3 Kingz players, turned inside, stepped past the keeper and put it away for 5-3. A class goal to see out a game that saw some poor fieldwork but magnificent goals.
Marconi was best served by Maisano, Care, Afkos, and Brownlie. Kingz can thank Urlovic, Markovski, and Vlahos for their contributions.