Win will give United title

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33941, 6 September 1975, Page 48

Win will give United title

(By

DERRICK MANSBRIDGE

Gisborne City, the Poverty Bay club that stands in the way today of Christchurch United and the 1975 Rothmans National Soccer League title, has made a habit, at Queen Elizabeth 11 Park, of upsetting the celebration plans of leading teams.

A win from today’s game is all that United needs to gain an unbeatable lead and take the national league championship for the second time in three years But at a similar stage las; year New Brighton played hosts to Gisborne at Queen Elizabeth II needing just such a victor} to take second place and S2O»X). Instead Gisborne turned the seasiders’ plans upside down by scoring a shock, 2-0 victory that sent Brighton down to the third place and lifted United into the runner-up position. And that is one of the les sons Gisborne has often taught other clubs — tha' no matter how low City is on the league table, its players cannot be taken for granted. NOTHING TANGIBLE Today Gisborne has nothing tangible to play for. It is way outside those clubs which are striving for the sponsor’s monej and well dear of those battling to stave off relegation. But it will have the incentive of putting a spoke in United’s wheel. The two teams have met [twice this season, at English [Park in the Air New Zealand 'tournament, and at Gisborne i in the national league. Both i clashes gave United its most ! decisive wins of the season !— 5-0 and 3-0. This time United will be more than content with a less winning margin. Gisborne has some highlytalented players, such as its player-coach, Ray Veall, the goal-keeper, Keith Bowley, the mid-field star, Jim Lavery, and the strikers, Harry Bell and Robert Craig. United cannot afford to make the defensive errors that have upset its play in recent games. They have been the cause of some desperate situations developing, ! with the team being deprived of the sound and solid basis on which to build its play. On paper United should this evening be celebrating a league title and talking about completing the double in the Lion Chatham Cup

I final next Saturday. But it [will require strong, purposeful play from the start of today’s game to put the first I leg safely behind it. Although the chatnpion-|-hip hopes of the other conI tenders are now dependent ' upon United's downfall, the ! other prize-winning placings are still wide open. ! Two of the candidates are also in action today. North I Shore meets Mount Wellington and Stop Out plays 'Wellington City. The third, i Blockhouse Bay, will play 1 Eastern Suburbs tomorrow BRIGHTON INTEREST [ The Stop-Out-Wellington [City clash is of vital interest |to Brighton. If. Stop Out is successful — as it should be — a dark cloud will be lifted from the shoulders of the Brighton players. It would mean Wellington finishing last and Brighton escaping the drop. But if Wellington caused an upset, Brighton would leave for Dunedin and its clash with Caversham tomorrow still needing a victory to be safe, it would have two more matches after tomorrow’s to gajher in the necessary points, but the task would become tougher ever' week it lasted. Today’s game at Queen Elizabeth 11 will kick-off at 2 p.m., to allow the Gisborne players time to catch their plane home. The cur-tain-raiser, at I p.m., is between the United under 12 and the Enwood club, of Invercargill, making its first trip out of Southland.