17-year-old Returns To United Attack

Press, Issue 32345, 10 July 1970, Page 15

17-year-old Returns To United Attack

(By Our Soccer Reporter) The 17-year-old Rangers striker, G. Dacombe, who played his first game for Christchurch United last May and scored both of the team’s goals in a 2-1 win over Stop Out, will have his second Rothmans National Soccer League match tomorrow, against Hungaria at English Park.

Fast, strong, and with a powerful shot in both feet, Dacombe is one of three changes made from the United team beaten by Caversham in a Gillette Chatham Cup tie in Dunedin last week.

The Technical goalkeeper. W. Weir, who has been a reserve for seven matches this season and went on as a forward substitute against Caversham, has been named in goal, and his teammate, K. Pahi, is first choice at right-back.

If Pahi plays—this depends on him recovering from injury —it will be, also, his first full match for United. His only other appearance was as a substitute wing in the match against Western Suburbs.

Phillips Out of Form Weir has replaced the World Cup goal-keeper, D. Phillips, who is on a business course in Wellington and who > has been struggling this sea- 1 son to find the form that won him top place in New Zealand at the end of last year. United’s substitute goalkeeper on Saturday will be the City player, A. Fleming, 1 who has already travelled p around 3000 miles his season l ’ travelling from Ashburton to! play for and train with his < club. | Pahi, if fit, will replace the s United captain, P. Frost, who < missed last Saturday’s cup ' match because of influenza i and has not yet fully recov- i

ered, although he has been bracketed with Pahi. The United team is: Weir, Pahi or Frost, G. Griffiths, K. France, A. Westwood; V. Pollard, T. Haydon; B. Wilkinson, Dacombe, R. Taylor, F. Madrussan. Substitutes: Fleming, A. Smith. Hungaria, three points behind the Christchurch club, will be just as anxious as United to win this league

match. Defeat for either will cripple its hopes of finishing in one of Jhe four moneywinning positions in the table. The last time they met, in the first round in April, United led 3-1 at half-time, but conceded two goals after the interval, and the match was drawn, 3-3. One of Hungaria’s chief dangers is the young S. Boyland, who has recently been switched from the wing to centre-forward and has developed into a highly dangerous striker. He netted twice in Hungaria’s 3-1 win over

Palmerston North City in last Saturday’s third-round cup tie. Another to be feared Is the team’s coach and midfield general, L Polyansky. And he has one other high reputation—that of being a deadly penalty-taker. Polyansky has scored five times from the spot this season, out of five attempts. Upsets Unlikely

In spite of its loss to Caversham. United will start favourite to beat Hungaria, and consolidate its fourth place in the table. The Christchurch club’s chances of rising higher, if it should win, would then rest on the three pace-setting Auckland teams being upset—and this is not likely to happen. The present leader, Eastern Suburbs, is at home to Gisborne City; the runner-up, Blockhouse Bay, is away to Western Suburbs: and the third-placed Mount Wellington will meet Stop Out in the Hutt Valley on Slmday.