A 2-0 win for Queensland Roar at North Harbour Stadium on October 16 has left the New Zealand Knights well adrift of the other teams which make up the inaugural Hyundai A-League competition.
The Knights are now seven points shy of both Perth Glory and the Newcastle Jets after their latest reversal, their fifth in succession and seventh in eight matches. And things don’Äôt look like improving any time soon for the New Zealand entry, who were watched by just 4,182 spectators on this occasion.
Queensland were good value for their win in this game, and could easily have triumphed by more, but for some fine saves by Knights’Äô goalkeeper, Danny Milosevic.
But the ’Äòkeeper wasn’Äôt given a prayer in the eighth minute, as Hyul-Su Seo thrashed home a superbly struck swerving, dipping volley which arrowed into the net in just the eighth minute of the match, this after the Knights had failed to clear a bouncing ball in their penalty area for the second time in the match.
The first instance had occurred just forty seconds into the contest, when John Tambouras and local youngster Cole Tinkler had allowed the ball to bounce around in their penalty. Michael Baird made their minds up for them by stepping in and lashing a twenty-yard effort over the top.
Within seconds, Steve Fitzsimmons had replied in kind at the other end of the park, and another lively affair in a round full of such fixtures looked to be on the cards. Sadly, it wasn’Äôt as good as it could have been, despite the playing conditions being far more in keeping with summer football than on the previous occasion of a Knights’Äô home game!
Immediately after the opening goal, the Knights went in hot pursuit of an equaliser, with pressure from Josh Rose prompting Karl Dodd to under-hit a back-pass, much to Simon Yeo’Äôs glee. He stole in and steered the ball wide of the stranded Scott Higgins, but wide of Higgins’Äô goal as well.
Queensland’Äôs goalkeeper found himself in the line of fire once more in the thirteenth minute, as a shot from Xaobin Zhang stung his gloves after Rose’Äôs persistence had created the opening on the left. And when Yeo was released by Queenslander Rose four minutes later, the save which Higgins was forced to save was top-notch.
The Knights had begun the game sporting a new playing formation in an effort to kick-start their campaign, but once the visitors worked it out, the home team’Äôs initial attacking threats soon began to founder due to that old chestnut, poor quality final ball into the danger zone.
Queensland began to emerge as the more lively attacking force as a result, and after Baird had spurned a chance created by Alex Brosque on the half-hour, they pounded away in search of the second goal they sought to secure the points.
But Milosevic proved equal to their efforts, blocking Brosque’Äôs rasping drive with his legs after Baird’Äôs break, then looking on as both Chad Gibson - what was he doing that far forward?! - and Spase Dilevski both went close in the next four minutes.
Just before half-time, Knights coach John Adshead looked to change tactics by introducing Sean Devine to the fray at the expense of Zhang. The alteration nearly paid immediate dividends, as Devine played the ball wide to Fitzsommons, who supplied the last noteworthy act of the half, in the form of an inviting cross with which no-one, surprisingly, failed to make contact with.
Queensland had enjoyed plenty of possession in the first spell, but all too often employed the ball in areas where it was of no threat to their hosts. The Knights, on the other hand, had also been going well, until they reached the attacking third of the field, at which point a crisis of confidence appeared to loom into view - the number of occasions when a promising move foundered on the indifferent quality and accuracy of the final ball defied belief!
Occasionally, they got the mix right, such as in the 51st minute, when the Knights’Äô most consistently performed outfield player, Zenon Caravella, evaded two challenges before inviting Ben Collett to pick out the head of Yeo with a cross. The striker’Äôs header flashed across the face of goal.
Such moments were few and far between, however, particularly after what happened in the 57th minute. Baird had been crowded out by Tinkler a couple of minutes beforehand, after Dodd and Massimo Murdocca had combined on the right, but the striker was Johnny on the spot when it mattered most, as Uruguayan import Osvaldo Carro’Äôs viciously struck twenty-five yarder proved too hot to handle for Milosevic. Baird was following in - 2-0.
That goal effectively finished off the contest, for due to their failings with delivering quality final ball, the vast majority of the Knights’Äô efforts to reduce the deficit before full-time were wasted, while Queensland, on the back of their two-goal cushion, were able to hit their opponents on the counter-attack whenever the mood took their fancy.
Substitute Royce Brownlie met his match in Milosevic on three occasions between the 67th and 73rd minutes, the Knights goalkeeper producing fine saves to thwart the striker each time.
Meanwhile, Yeo’Äôs persistence was providing the visitors with a few headaches. Twelve minutes from time, he deserved better than to see his shot career past Higgins but wide of the mark, after the striker had done the donkey-work by muscling through a challenge. Then in the 81st minute, a deflected drive from Yeo had Higgins scrambling to recover the situation, after his poor goal-kick had created the opening.
It was the visitors who were to have the final say, however, only for Milosevic to maintain their margin of victory at two goals by producing a breathtaking fingertip save to deny Brosque, after Seo and Murdocca had combined to release the speedster on the left.
But 2-0 was suffice to move the Queenslanders up the league ladder, and a further three points clear of the Knights, for whom the ignominy of the Hyundai A-League’Äôs wooden spoon is fast becoming a distinct possibility.