Old Boys Set Pace In Hurley Shield Soccer

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31340, 10 April 1967, Page 15

Old Boys Set Pace In Hurley Shield Soccer

For the second successive season, High School Old Boys are setting the pace in the Hurley Shield soccer championship. After two rounds, Old Boys lead the table on goal average from Rangers and Christchurch City, all three being unbeaten with four points each.

Last season, Old Boys headed the championship for two rounds and was not beaten until their fourth game.

However, Rangers have made the most spectacular advance. Last season, when they narrowly escaped relegation, they took seven rounds to collect the same number of points they have won in two matches this season. Another notable difference between the start of the 1966 and 1967 seasons is the defensive record of City. Last year the team went seven games before conceding four goals; this year it has taken only two. The outstanding marksman of the senior competition so far is the Technical centreforward, P. Kay, who followed up a hat-trick on the opening Saturday witl another two brilliant goals at the week-end. Results:

City 3, Technical 2. Brighton 2. Western 1. Rangers 1, Shirley-Nomade 0. M. 5.0.8. 2, Shamrock 1.

On A Tight-Rope For the second successive week City walked a soccer tight-rope and just saved itself from taking a nasty fall. From 3-0 after 52 minutes, City stumbled to 3-2 at the final whistle, finally holding its footing only by the most desperate measures. The previous week, against Brighton, City had led, 2-0, been caught at 2-2, and then edged home the winner by 3-2. And so the club has passed two of its biggest hurdles unbeaten but with a defensive record that leaves a great deal more to be desired. For almost an hour Technical played like a team more intent on keeping the City score within reasonable limits than with the suggestion it could win. It took a breakaway goal, followed soon afterwards by another, to convince the Technical players that City could be beaten. But then the realisation came too late, for time and opportunity ran out.

Once again there was a huge empty gap between City’s defenders and forwards when an attacking movement broke down. In the first hour it looked more of an embarrassment than a potent danger, for Technical, even with a five to three advantage, was unable to exploit the wide open areas, while T. Haydon, A. Gowans and J. Logue back-tackled quickly and determinedly. But in the last half-hour >a change came over the pattern. The stamina of City’s mid-field men began to flag and Technical’s forwards began to build up their play more aggressively. Previously, they had individually carried the ball too far and too slowly, so that a depleted City defence had been able to retreat in unison into a confined area in front of the goal where Technical’s advantage in numbers became nullified.

In the previous three seasons, City has become a strength in Canterbury soccer by its control of the mid-field and its depth of defence. It used the “sweeper-up” defender to harras and bustle an opposing forward line into mistakes and misjudged passes. It could be necessary for City soon to revert to that formation, at the cost of dropping one of its forwards.

Technical just lacked the incisiveness on the wings to take fullest advantage of City’s defensive failings. Its rhythmn and control had improved on the previous week, but not by enough to put City under pressure in the early stages. All five goals were well taken. City’s first two, by M. Clements and Gowans, took the same swerving flight and landed in the same spot in the net, while Gowans electrified the crowd with a 30-yard drive which had A. Marshall unsighted until It was too late for him to take decisive action.

P. Kay got both of Technical’s, as he had scored his team’s three the previous week. The first began deep in Technical territory when A. Hawthorn checked an attack and sent his forwards away through the gap between City’s forwards and defenders that had been there all the time. Kay’s second followed another breakaway movement, a moment of carelessness by G. Evans and a magnificentlycontrolled shot Into a narrowing gap as O. Nuttridge left his goal-line. Referee: Mr R. Gray. A Gambler’s Goal The standard act by City and New Brighton on the opening day of the season was so high, reaching even unexpected heights, that it waa no great surprise the Brighton-Western match would look ordinary in comparison. If Brighton slipped the furthest from grace it waa because it had further to fall, and the seasiders* victory had all the hallmarks of a gambler’s last throw of the dice. They scored an Incredible winning goal, the one in a million shot that would break the bank at Monte Carlo every time. From a not too well-taken corner, Brighton's newcomer, W. Quirke. flicked the ball over his head, and over the head of D. Spraggs, in the Western goal, and a couple of defenders on the line. Quirke might try the same trick 40 times and not once score, even without a goalkeeper and defenders to beat. But there is something of the roulette wheel about a lot of Brighton's play, plus a great deal of hard, fast running, flrstttme decisive tackling, and magnificent goal-keeping by D. Phillips. The 18-year-old Phillips made one exhilarating backward leap to hold a header from D. Torklngton, and twice threw himself at the feet of forwards when a goal was threatened. Brighton felt the loss of J. le Poldevin, not because K. France was not an able substitute at centre-half, but because France was missed at wing-half, both by feeding his forwards constructive passes and urging his young players to greater efforts. His appeals from further back failed to penetrate as they had done when Brighton played City. Western Is in the throes of a patchy period when things are more likely to go wrong than they are to go right. It was sad to see such talented players as C Rennie completely missing his kick in front of goal and such solid, dependable nlayers as P. Frost slicing d** 6 "’ l ';* clearances yards wide of their target.

Sometimes, the young Brighton forwards were as much an enigma to themselves as to defenders, and it was a mistake on Saturday when A. Caine spent too much time on tne wing. His value is as a goal snatcher, and on the wing chances come fewer and farther between. Western scored first, wnen a. Marshall, on the ground, managed with a contortionist act to get a foot around, up and over to a ball that seemed out of his control. G. Taylor equalised with a well-made goal, and Quirke came along in the second half with his sleigh t-of-foot trick. While it was not great football, it was hugely entertaining—to the Brighton supporters, if not Western’s. Sub-Standard Game A solitary goal decided the match between Rangers and Shirley-Nomads at Rangers Park. Scored by the Rangers inside-right, W. Doornenbal, after 65 minutes of poor football, the goal was the result of bad control by Shirley’s centre-half, W. Darby, and lack of covering by his full-backs. Doornenbal ran in from 10 yards outside the penalty area, gathered the ball and went on to drive it past the advancing K. Flintham.

Up to, and even after this point, the game never reached the standard expected from two teams in the senior compettition Clearances were kicked anywhere and players chased the ball in bunches. Only occasionally was there a constructive pass or a thoughtful move to give hope of Improvement.

For most of the first part Rangers had the edge, but their attempts at goal were either scrambled affairs in the goal area or 40-yard shots well over the bar. A good drive by A. Smythe, at which Flintham dived and punched dear, was the only true scoring attempt, but the same player had been guilty of missing a much easier chance earlier on.

For Shirley, the left-half, K. Ouwerkerk, worked well and looked worthy of better company, while the new signing, G. Knights, from the Auckland

club. Blockhouse Bay, seemed out of touch at full-back, but could well be the man to give the strength and experience needed in the middle of the defence.

G. Cooper, Shirley's outsideright, was -"the team’s most effective forward, and he deserved a better fate than to have his excellently.taken equalising goal disallowed because a colleague was standing in an off-side position. In the closing stages, Shirley’s inside-right, E. Rice, was inches away from saving the game. Had he scored it would have been justice, as neither team had played well enough to deserve both paints. Referee: Mr J. Sheffield. Strong Halves

Determined rather than constructive football summed up H.5.0.8.’s win over Shamrock at Mclntosh Park. They obtained an edge by having players in support of the man with the ball, which was vital on a greasy pitch, that offered no chance of making quick turns in pursuit of opponents. Although few shots were made at the goal, H. 5.0.8. man : aged to make two of them count, and these proved sufficient to see them through. The Old Boys half-back line of J. Mitchell, G. McNaught, and C. Pickrill kept up a constant flow of ball to the forwards after working hard to contain the opposition, whilst K. Sansom safely, dealt with the shots that came his way. In contrast, Shamrock, except for a period in the second half, could not link up effectively to gain momentum and mount sustained pressure. Too often the forwards were smothered out of the attack because of lacking of support or because an ill-directed pass brought movements to a stop. The brunt of the Shamrock defending was done by R. Kerr and H. Taylor, who proved dlffieut to beat. The forwards tried hard, but were unable to make any real progress against a tenacious Old Boys defence.

McNaught and B. Hool scored for H. 5.0.8., and M. Wood for Shamrock. Referee: Mr J. Nieuwenhuize.

P W D L F A Pts HSOB 2 Rangers 2 0 0 5 2 4 2 2 0 0 6 3 City 2 2 0 0 3 4 Tech. 2 1 0 1 5 4 2 Bright. 2 1 0 1 4 4 2 Sham. 2 0 0 2 4 7 0 West. 2 0 0 2 2 5 0 Shir. 2 0 0 2 1 4 0