Western confronted with soccer ordeal today

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32032, 5 July 1969, Page 11

Western confronted with soccer ordeal today

' A BLEAK-looking weekend of senior soccer has suddenly assumed major importance to the only Canterbury club in the southern league playing in Christchurch today. Only six days ago Western would have been forgiven for believing that it had no worries about relegation this season, bright hopes for filling one of the four money-winning positions in the competition. The club is five points ahead of the two bottom clubs. Northern and Queen’s Park, and three in front of Roslyn-Wakari, with only another six matches to play. Now Western will run out on to English Park today for its match with Roslyn, switched to the main game because of the granting of a dispensation to Christchurch City, under the shadow of relegation. This swift change in the fortunes of Western has come about by the decision made at the meeting of the Southern League Council and presidents and secretaries of the associations attached to the competition, at Dunedin last weekend

They agreed that in 1970 the first division shall be of eight teams and the second division 10, reversing the composition of the sections in the first two years of the league. Instead of one first division team going down, one second division club going up, at the end of this season, the bottom three clubs in the first division and the top team in the second section will play-off next March, the winner to go into the top division and the other three to be second division competitors. At the present stage of the two divisions, Queen’s Park and Northern, each with seven points, and Roslyn, with nine, are the first division candidates for the play-off series, with Caversham, holding a three-point lead, probably to join them from the second division. Western has 12 points in the first division and Christchurch City, Shamrock and New Brighton each has 13. And if Western must suddenly look to its laurels, the other three cannot afford to take a rest under the new system. But it is Western that faces the most immediate ordeal, for while Queen’s Park and Northern are probably doomed for the play-off series, Roslyn is

making an extremely bold bid to escape from the danger zone, and will considerably boost its own hopes and dampen Western’s if it wins at English Park today. Western, in spite of its three-point advantage, cannot look upon the match with the utmost confidence. Roslyn has taken on a “giant-killing" role in recent weeks, defeating both Rangers and Shamrock and drawing with Technical, at times when two of its opponents were leading the competition and the third was within a point of the top. Should Roslyn win today, giving it 11 points, the gap between the Dunedin club and Western would be only one point, and with each to play five more matches, Western’s position will become most serious. New Brighton, away to-

day to the strong St KildaMornington team in Dunedin, must also be feeling the pinch. Its middle-of-the-table position has now become on the fringe of the relegation zone and a defeat to St Kilda and a victory to Roslyn would leave it in as much trouble as Western. Christchurch City and Shamrock, which were due to meet today until their match was cancelled because City has three players in the southern league side playing in Auckland this week-end, will be as interested in the result of today’s game at English Park as Western. It would relieve them—and Brighton, too—if Western win.

By its decision, last weekend’s meeting has thrust as much limelight on the comings and goings at the bottom of the first division as there has been at the top

all season, where the lead has been constantly changing andupsets have become commoilp'lace. However, it is doubtful whetner the lower-placed clubs in the first division will appreciate the decision that has been taken; one that must view it with even greater distaste than ail others is Shirley-Nomads, the only Canterbury dub at present playing in the second division. Already, Shirley-Nomads have the greatest travelling problems of all 18 competing clubs. They have to play five times in Dunedin, once each in Timaru and Invercargill. If all the Canterbury clubs in the first division retain that status in 1970 and a Dunedin club gains the eighth position in the top section after the play-off series, ShirleyNomads would then face, next year, six trips to Dunedin, two to Invercargill and one to Timaru. It could well be the straw to break the back of even the most willing camel.