Soccer Relegation Battle

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31421, 14 July 1967, Page 11

Soccer Relegation Battle

Christchurch City v. New Brighton, Sham* rock v. Rangers—these are vital soccer matches tomorrow that virtually bring down the curtain on the 1967 Hurley Shield championship. And of these two, the Sham-rock-Rangers relegation battle at Riccarton Domain is of paramount importance, for one of these two clubs will finish at the foot of the table. Shamrock, with six points, must win the match to be safe; Rangers have seven points and a draw will be sufficient to keep the elub in the first division next season. It has been a frustrating competition for both dubs, although they began it in vastly different ways. After three matdies, Rangers led the competition with six points

and for the first time since the mid-1980s held a clear margin at the head of the inter-club competition. Then Rangers suffered a long run of injuries, complicated by calls on their talented young players for the representative under-18 side, and it was nine Hurley Shield matches later before they collected another point. Shamrock, on the other hand, started disappointingly, lost key players through injuries when they were most needed, and has been in the doldrums ever sinpe. Rangers struck a vital blow earlier this month when they held Brighton to a draw, but on the same day Shamrock took two points from Technical, and last week followed it with the addition of one more while Rangers went down to Old Boys. Against Brighton, Rangers produced its greatest performance of the season;

against Old Boys, they were woefully weak. Shamrock, fighting back for all it is worth, displayed much more consistent form against Technical and Shirley-Nomads. It is in the shadow of these recent performances that the two clubs meet tomorrow, and it is anyone’s guess how the match will finish. Brighton’s loss of three points in its last two games has left City four points ahead and with a superior goal average. Each has two more games to play—City’s other one is against ShirleyNomads and Brighton's with Old Boys—-and even a loss tomorrow will still leave City almost certain of taking the shield for the fourth successive year. Although Brighton has had to be content with second place behind City in this season’s first three competitions, and it holds out little hope of catching City in the Hurley Shield, tomorrow’s match at

English Park is in the form of a special mission for the seasiders.

Their defeats to City this season have been desperately close—O-l, 2-3, 1-2. In each game Brighton has had equal chance of success and been pipped at the finish. Tomorrow it will be content with nothing more than a longawaited victory. The other two matches have only limited interest for the dubs involved. The early game at English Park, between Technical and Western, will decide which of these two dubs will finish in third place. At present they are level on points, Technical having a slightly better goal average.

Shirley and Old Boys meet at Mclntosh Park and their only interest will be to recharge themselves for the O’Briens tournament and the English Cup knock-out to come.