Soccer Decision A “Disappointment"

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31989, 16 May 1969, Page 12

Soccer Decision A “Disappointment"

The concern caused to one of Canterbury’s national soccer trialists, O. Nuttridge, has been resolved in a manner he described last evening as a “bitter disappointment.”

The New Zealand Football Association anounced yesterday that the travelling players amongst the eight reserves selected will not now attend the trial match in Wellington on Sunday. Nuttridge, one of the reserves, was the only Canterbury trialist to decide not to play for his club in tomorrow’s southern league matches. The South Island selector (Mr G. Evans) had advised players not to play for their clubs and asked that league matches in which their clubs were concerned be changed to another date.

Nuttridge felt that the N.Z.F.A. had put him in an invidious position with his club by allowing him to consider since last Sunday that all the reserves would be required to attend the trial and being forced into making the decision not to play for his club. The other reserve from Canterbury, A. Gowans, the Christchurch City playercoach, is not similarly affected. He has now been added to the Possibles team in place of last year’s international, M. Ferguson (Otago), who had told the N.Z.F.A. he was not available for the trial match. Another change in the teams has also been made. J. Staines (Auckland) has withdrawn and his place taken by I. Sims (Gisborne). The four Canterbury players

now in the trial teams—Gowans, D. Phillips (New Brighton), and K. France and G. Davis (both of Technical) — and Mr Evans will fly to Wellington on Sunday morning.