Clashes between the Football Kingz and the Wollongong Wolves in recent seasons have become fairly predictable in terms of their outcome, it must be said, with drawn affairs the outcome in six of the last ten matches prior to the clubsı January 11 bash at Ericsson Stadium.
Make that seven out of eleven, as a match which took place at the height of a piping hot Auckland afternoon ended in a 1-1 draw, a result which dents the visitorsı prospects of making the National Soccer League play-offs in 2004.
Those prospects have long-gone for the Kingz, however, with the wooden spoon seemingly destined to end up on the eastern side of the Tasman Sea for the second time in three seasons. How they must wish they had enjoyed the talents of Noah Hickey and, in particular, Danny Hay, for the bulk of the season, instead of the final eight games in the campaign.
For the two Central United and All White stars of recent vintage made a massive difference to the whole persona of the home team, Hickey - returning to the club for a second spell - making an immediate impact in attack with his jet-heeled acceleration.
But it was the solidity, organisational skills and all-round commanding presence of Hay which shone throughout this sun-baked encounter, the former NSL Player of the Year bolstering the Kingz back-line with a steely resolve and imperious authority hitherto unseen for many a month.
The new recruits added a new-found confidence to the bottom-of-the-table team, but they were up against opponents who, themselves, were looking to continue an eight-match unbeaten run, and started as if doing so was uppermost in their thoughts.
Just eighty-five seconds into play, Dustin Wells broke down the right and crossed for Chimaobi Nwaogazi, who darted in front of John Tambouras to direct a bullet-like header down and to the right of Kingz fit-again custodian Michael Utting. The goalkeeper produced a fine reflex save to deny the free-scoring Nigerian striker.
The Kingz first raid of note in a lively first half came in the seventh minute, with Hickey the catalyst. His swift left-flank raid caused problems in Wollongongıs defence, and it was only Ben Blakeıs intervention which prevented Harry Ngata from getting on the end of the newcomerıs cross.
Five minutes later, another Kingz attack brought joy aplenty to the bulk of the 1175 present. Wollongong failed to clear a Kingz raid, with Borislav Dragası header, from a Ngata cross, landing at the feet of Chris Jackson. The home teamıs captain headed the ball back into the zone for Jeremy Christie, whose bicycle kick attempt, as a shot on goal, was wayward, to put it mildly.
As a pass to Tallan Martin, however, it was inch-perfect, and the striker duly made the most of the opportunity, steering the ball unerringly beyond the despairing dive of Andrew Crews and inside the far post to open the scoring.
Within two minutes, the Kingz should have doubled their advantage. A surging run from deep by Hay had Wollongong quaking, and the subsequent through-ball sent Martin clear on the right. A deep cross beyond the far post was gathered by Jeff Campbell, who cleverly outfoxed Wells before drilling the ball across the face of goal, Ngata a mere stride away from touching the sphere home at point-blank range.
The visitors cleared their lines, counter-attacking quickly. Jason Van Blerk found himself in possession on the edge of the penalty area seconds later, and deftly turned Mauro Donoso before letting fly, only for Utting to paw the ball to safety.
After Christie and Jackson had engineered an opening for Hickey which saw the speedster turn sharply but send his snap-shot sizzling past the post, Uttingıs self-confidence was to the fore, as he cheekily outwitted Nwaogazi with some deft footwork just outside the penalty area - any mistakes would have been mercilessly punished by one of the leagueıs in-form marksmen.
Within seconds, the Kingz keeper was in action again, this time through a Jackson error. The Kingz skipper gifted possession to Stuart Young half-way inside his own half, and the Wolves striker steered the ball into the path of the charging Adam Hughes. The midfielder let fly from twenty yards, but succeeded only in bringing the best out of Utting once more, the goalkeeper going on to deny both Shane Lyons and Nahuel Arrarte in the next ten minutes.
The home teamıs attacks were becoming more and more infrequent, largely due to their continuing inaccuracy with regards delivery of the final pass. All too often, the energy expended by Hickey, Martin and Ngata would be for nought, as wayward through balls or crosses were mopped up by the Wollongong rearguard.
And while they were largely dominant at one end of the park, so, too, was Hay at the other. The visitors struggled to make much head-way throughout the first half as the former Leeds United star marshalled the troops, but they had more success in the second spell, largely due to the black-clad Kingz tiring tellingly in the strength-sapping heat.
Ngata and Campbell both squandered chances either side of the half-time whistle, before the Wolves set about restoring parity with a vengeance. A timely nudge by Tambouras five minutes into the second spell saw van Blerk taste the turf as he looked to capitalise on a Young through ball, with the young Australian finding referee Derek Rugg in complete disagreement with his assertion that the visitors should have a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area.
Six minutes later, Utting, who, for some reason, decided that today was a day for gathering crosses no matter how far away from his goal they might be, flapped at an Arrarte corner. On this occasion, he was lucky, as Van Blerk failed to capitalise.
He was to ride his luck once more, in the 73rd minute. A horrendous error by Utting on the edge of his penalty saw the goalkeeperıs attempted clearance cannon off just-introduced substitute Tanju Balabanel and ricochet beyond the wrong-footed Donoso. Nwaogazi was onto the ball in a flash, and thrashed it goalwards. But Utting somehow recovered in time to smother the effort, much to Youngıs horror.
The former Arsenal reserve had performed impressively, seeing Tambouras block a 69th minute drive, and generally causing problems which only foundered on the rock-like presence of Hay, who, himself, came close to scoring in the 67th minute, heading narrowly over after a Jackson free-kick had been fumbled by Crews.
It was a fumble at the other end of the park which was to end the Kingz hopes of a rare victory. Arrarteıs thirty-yard free-kick dropped beyond the penalty area, and midst the throng of attackers and defenders lunged the flying figure of Utting. He failed to make solid contact with the ball, which fell invitingly for Dragas.
The burly central defender wasted little time in accepting the invitation to steer the ball home into an unguarded net, much to the delight of his Wollongong team-mates. But though they pressed on for a winner, it wasnıt forthcoming in the final fourteen minutes.
Balabanel and Hughes both spurned stoppage time chances which would have clinched a come-from-behind victory for the visitors, who survived a late scare themselves, as Jackson shot straight at Crews in the dying minutes of a well-contested encounter, one which saw the home side score just their sixth point of what has been a sorry season.