Clash of interests
The Christchurch United captain and leftback, K. France, will wish he could put himself in two places at once on Saturday.
And it would entail only a transformation of 9in—the width of a wall—at the most.
While he will be changing and getting last-minute instructions in the team’s dressing room at English Park for United’s vital Rothmans National League match against Eastern Suburbs, just outside Technical will be clashing with Rangers in the first of the season’s major
confrontations in the Southern League. And the clash of interests as far as France, the former New Zealand team vice-cap-tain is concerned, is that while he plays for and leads United, he also coaches Technical.
Technical, the Southern League title-holder, for the last two years, heads the 1971 competition on goal average from Rangers and New Brighton. The three clubs, share the honour of being the only teams with 100 per cent records and also being joint favourites for this season's championship. A loss for either Technical
or Rangers on Saturday will be a great setback, to the titles hopes of each, for Brighton should overwhelm St Kilda-Momington at Western Park. . So far this season, St Klida has been beaten 2-0 by Ros-lyn-Wakari, 11-0 by Technical- and 6-0 by Rangers. So, with this problem on his mind, France might be forgiven if he has one ear listening to his own coach (Mr T. C. Conley) preparing the United side for the tussle with Suburbs, and the other listening to the shouts of the crowd, trying to distinguish whether the team he coaches is on top, or Rangers are getting control. But although France is, perhaps, more deeply involved than other United players, there will be several in the United dressing room also pulling for either Technical or Rangers. Both clubs helped in the formation of Christchurch United, supplying finances and players for the national league club. Among the latter will be G. Griffiths and D. Finnie (Technical); G. Dacombe, V. Pollard and. P. Dick (Rangers).
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32587, 22 April 1971, Page 32
Word Count
336Clash of interests Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32587, 22 April 1971, Page 32
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