Fortune did not favour the Para Hills Knights as they were downed 4-2 by Croydon Kings in a hard fought game on Saturday in Round 13 of the PlayStation 4 National Premier League South Australia.

After Croydon fell behind so early in the match with only 4 minutes played, an upset looked promising with Knights player Tyler Bailey feeling hopeful over the result.

“I thought we were going to pull off an upset because we worked hard but we were unlucky at the end.”

Eight minutes later, Croydon were level making it anyone’s game with just twelve minutes on the clock.

Kings man Michael Doyle knew the fightback was on the cards given their dominance in the opening stages.

“It was a bit of a shock to go down early but I still felt we were in control of the game.”

The comeback was complete as Rocky Visconte edged the away side in front half way through the first half.

Chasing the game, Bailey felt they could get back on even terms and saw encouraging signs from his team.

“Our ball movement was good and our attitude was positive.”

However it was Croydon in the ascendency which eventually prevailed with a third goal.

“We were pushing for that third goal to kill the game off. Once we got it, it made things a bit easier but then they came at us which definitely made the last 15 minutes very tight,” Doyle said.

A late surge saw Para Hills get within just a goal of earning a point but the Red & Whites responded with a fourth in injury time to secure the three point.

“We didn’t take our chances which cost us and our mistakes led to them catching us on the counter,” Bailey said.

Doyle believes the key to closing out the game was similar to the story that has been unfolding for them this season.

“We just needed continue what we were doing and keep working hard in numbers. When we play individually is where we go wrong.

“On Saturday we worked as a team and got a good result against a tough Para Hills team.”

Bailey concedes the result was a fair reflection of the ninety minutes given the errors they made throughout the contest.

The visitors put on another convincing performance leaving Doyle pleased with the outcome.

“We are happy to get points, we were desperate like they were.

“It was a difficult game given their change of coaches and we knew they were going to be up for it and full credit to them they gave a real game to us.”

Article by Andrew Lodiong - @Andrew_Lodiong