Tremendous Task Ahead Of N.Z. Soccer Team

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32011, 11 June 1969, Page 17

Tremendous Task Ahead Of N.Z. Soccer Team

(By Our Soccer Reporter)

New Zealand soccer will meet its last, and most important, challenge from the English F.A. when the full national team plays the tourists at Newmarket Park, Auckland, this afternoon. So far, the Englishmen have won all six matches and their 100 per cent record is not in real danger in their final game.

Yet, although the New Zealand team is not expected to win, it must produce more constructive, positive football than other sides have managed to play to retain any degree of confidence for- the World Cup matches to come.

Apart from its fixture against the central league at Palmerston North when the side paid for a dozen missed chances by being held to a 3-2 victory, the English F.A. has blazed a triumphant path through the country. In their other matches, the tourists beat Auckland, 8-1, Canterbury, 6-2, Otago-South-

land, 11-0, and New Zealand Xis, 7-1 and 5-0. Their record of 40 goals for, six against, amply demonstrates their overwhelming superiority, not only against provincial teams, but also the pick of New Zealand’s national squad. Two of the most experienced players in the side, the former England international, G. Eastham, and the costly A. Hateley, lead the goal scorers with 10 each, followed by B. Rioch and K. Weller, with six each.

All four will probably be playing again today (the final selection has been delayed) and it will be a monumental task for the New Zealand defence to prevent them adding to their tally.

But as important as the curbing of the English strikers will be, it is vitally necessary for the New Zealand forwards and linkmen to make their own chances of scoring goals against a defence so much stronger and better organised than they usually encounter. Five of the New Zealanders will have played in all three New Zealand squad teams to meet the English F.A.— A.. Jeffery (Wellington) in defence, G. Bilby (Wellington) and R. Mears (Auckland), the link players, and two of the strikers, M. Guildea and E. Thomas (Auckland), although in the two earlier games Thomas played as a link. In addition, five of the test team played in the successful central league side—Jeffrey and Bilby, plus the goalkeeper, L. Cutler (Palmerston North), the link player, T. Francis (Gisborne), and the wing, S. Bruce (Wellington). Therefore, the New Zealanders now know something of the opposition and have played just about enough together to form some understanding and team-work. They should know that to have any chance of upsetting the Englishmen the defenders must mark tighter and the forwards must run more off the ball to create openings in the tourists’ defence. Provided Knighton and

Rioch fully recover from knocks suffered at Hamilton on Saturday, the English team is expected to be that which has become the first choice throughout the tour. In that case, the teams for today would be:

Hew Zealand: Cutler; G, Davis, G. Griffiths. Jeffery, W. Hunter; Francis, Bilby, Mears; Guildea, Thomas, Bruce.

England: A. Hodgkinson; Knighton, D. Megson, D. Payne, K. Eddy; G. Hawkins, I. Morgan; Weller, Hateley, Eastham, Rioch.