Nomads Correspondent Hits Back

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30203, 7 August 1963, Page 13

Nomads Correspondent Hits Back

VVRITING in last Satur- ’’ day’s programme of the Canterbury Football Association, a Nomads correspondent hit back at the club’s critics. He wrote: “Weaknesses apparent all season have now become the object of attack. Perhaps we do have more rough edges than a crosscut saw; perhaps an old ladies’ knitting guild could do better; the fact remains that nine Kiwis, one Scot and one Irishman are trying their darndest to play good football and score winning goals. "We are no world-beat-ers; we’ve won through by scoring more goals than the opposition, as our record of one loss in 18 games shows. Our faults are fundamental to the whole country: lack of basic skills. The onus is on all clubs to realise

the answer lies among odr boys’ teams and in our schools.” The anonymous correspondent has made his reply; the players have another chance to make theirs and cause others to eat their words (including "The Press” soccer correspondent) when they play Northern in the South Island final of the Chatham Cup at Dunedin on Saturday. Victory over last year’s Rothmans winner and beaten Chatham Cup finalist would put Nomads in the national final against the winner of the North Island section, North Shore (Auckland) or Marist (Wellington), as well as confound those who do not believe the present team is strong enough in all departments to win. But Nomads will have a

definite psychological advantage over the strong Dunedin club. They have beaten Northern in every game except one (which was drawn, 4-4) between the two clubs since 1958, with a 7-1 score at Dunedin last Easter. Nomads made two interesting changes in their team that beat Technical Old Boys, 3-6, in the local O'Briens tournament last Saiturday. D. Ennis went to centre-forward and R. Cattle moved from rightback to inside-night. Cattle had a good game, scoring two goals, but the forwards’ shooting was still a sad feature of the team's play. This has been a cardinal fault all season, notwithstanding the club's successful run; its only defeat was by Dunedin Technical, in the first leg of the Roth-

man's South Island final. Few will deny that Nomads ha ve been the top dub in Christchurch soccer this season, proved by their winning the Hurley Shield by a street and the local Chatham Oup. Matches have been won by the strength of the defence and sheer opportunism. In a season when Christchurch soccer had been conspicuous for the weakness of forward play, Nomads have capitalised on the dominance of its half-back line to control the mid-field and provide the scoring chances. Had half of these been taken, Nomads would have scored heavily in every game. But this is not to say that Nomads cannot beat Northern. Any team which has such capable players' as D. Chapman (goal - keeper), Cattle, D. Simmonds (cen-tre-half and captain), G. Donaldson (left-half), and Ennis must have a reasonable chance. The editor of the official programme, in a footnote to the Nomads

correspondent, summed up the position neatly: “All Canterbury sportsmen are behind you in your ‘Cup Quest,’ but you must be prepared for criticism When it is wamamted ”