Talented Eastern Suburbs seeking revenge?

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32586, 21 April 1971, Page 10

Talented Eastern Suburbs seeking revenge?

(By D. P. MANSBRIDGE) 'THE fact that four points and five places in the competition table separate the two teams will not lull the Eastern Suburbs coach, Mr T. McNab, into any false sense of security when the Auckland club meets Christchurch United in a Rothmans national soccer league fixture at English Park on Saturday. More likely, Mr McNab the former New Zealand team captain, and his players will recall the defeat Eastern suffered at United’s hands last season, the $2OOO the club lost in the process, and will look forward to the revenge the Aucklanders will hope to exact this season. Eastern and United met at Newmarket Park on August 22, with just two more rounds of the first national league tournament to run. Suburbs led the competition by two points, it had only the bottom team,

Western Suburbs, to meet after Christchurch, and the $4OOO first prize seemed almost certain to go to it. All it really needed, it seemed, was a draw with United to head off Blockhouse Bay, its fellow Auckland club. There was a crowd ot more than 5000 at Newmarket Park, half cheering on Suburbs, the other half, and making twice the amount

or noise, eninusiasucaiiy United. Not that these were Christchurch supporters having made the long journey north. Rather they were Blockhouse Bay fans who knew that if United won, their team could take the title. And that, .finally, was what happened. In a game described by the national coach (Mr B. Truman) as the most dramatic and fulfilling of the whole season, United won, 3-2. On the same day, Blockhouse won in Gisborne, took over the lead on a superior goal average, and retained it when both the Bay and Eastern won their final matches the following week. The victory by United confirmed the Christchurch club in third place and won it a host of friends—even among the “enemy”—in Auckland. And United considered the victory sweet revenge for what had gone on at English Park when it and Eastern had met earlier. Then, Christchurch grabbed an early goal, held the lead for an hour, and then only succumbed, 1-2, because of a panicky eight minutes of defensive misunderstandings, during which Eastern netted twice. Although neither will be fielding the same teams on Saturday as met last August, there will be more than enough on the ground to recall the 1970 happenings and to allow the deeds of the past to spur them on. Among the heroes of those matches that will be missing are P. Rainer, P. Rennell, J. Legg and J. Wrathall, of Eastern; T. Haydon, F. Madrussan, R. Taylor, P. Frost and W. Weir, of Christchurch. But there will be new and exciting players amongst the Suburbs team this time, and none more so than the former Gisborne City striker, M. Bland, who should be a certainty to lead the New Zealand attack against Wales in June. Bland moved to Eastern Suburbs late last season on a $5OO transfer fee, but ran foul of the rule that prevents a player from appearing in more than one national league club in a season, except in exceptional circumstances. Bland, in fact, was in the stand the day that United knocked Eastern off the top of the division.

Another highly regarded player is the former Palmerston North City linkman, P. Eliades, a 6ft 2in, hardrunning, powerful player who has settled perfectly into the Suburbs combination since he moved to Auckland at the start of the present season. Out of the same mould, but a much smaller version, is the other linkman, W. Fleet, only sft sin, and son of a former New Zealand representative, K. Fleet. He moved from the Eden club. A fourth excellent signing is the 25-year-old wing, K. Ironside, whom Mr McNab signed from Hamilton to replace the New Zealand international, Legg, who moved to South Africa. Ironside has already proved his worth with three goals in three matches, and this Waikato, Auckland, northern league and national under 23 representative must be strongly in line for his first New Zealand ;enior honours this season. Alongside these players vVill be Eastern’s other internations, W. de Graaf, R. Mears, K. Harlock, C. Latimour, G. York and J. Staines, to provide a squad solidly packed with talent ind experience. On paper, therefore, Eastern Suburbs has such a rich array that it might seem superfluous for any other club to enter the national league, or to count on more than a share of Eastern’s leavings if they have the temerity to play ball with the Auckland club. But United, last August, md so very nearly last May, proved that this club with, so much top-level soccer talent can be brought down. Saturday will show whether Christchurch has it in itself to do it again.