Indonesians to play under 21 “test”

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33966, 6 October 1975, Page 12

Indonesians to play under 21 “test”

(By

DERRICK MANSBRIDGE)

The national soccer coach (Mr Barrie Truman) was over-ruled by a majority of New Zealand Football Association officials at a hastily convened meeting at English Park on Saturday, immediately after New Zealand had overwhelmed “Indonesia,” 8-0, in the first test.

Against Mr Tru-| man’s strong wishes, the meeting, by a vote of! 5-2, agreed to cancel the second test at Auckland tomorrow and substitute the senior team with the: touring New Zealand ‘ under 21 side. The decision was ani nounced to the after-match function by Mr R. Kelly, chairman of the N.Z.F.A. executive. The meeting had been attended by seven members of the national council. One of the two who supported Mr Truman was the president of the Canterbury F.A. (Mr T. C. Gottermeyer). Afterwards, Mr Truman said that it was not his business if Indonesia sent a weak team to New Zealand. “My job is simply to get the national side as much preparation as possible for the Asian tour starting in 10 days and next Tuesday’s test, was our last match before we leave,” he said. “There are many things I i wanted to do before we play our first tour match in China and the second test would have been an ideal opportunity to try them out. “I realise that the Indonesian team would not have provided a test for the players but that is not to say we could not have put it to some advantage. FIVE OUT “Equally important, I had five players on the bench for : the first test and I would i have played them on Tues- : day. Now they will not get a I game until we reach China. : “I realise that Tuesday’s ; match would have been a wash-out from the crowd’s

point of view and that the i tour has been a financial disaster. But giving the players' every possible chance of I match play and preparing: them for the tour is my responsibility, and I wanted the second test played. “If Indonesia send out a weak team they deserve to be thrashed.” The Indonesian tour, which is costing the; N.Z.F.A. $26,000, will losej the national body a consid-i erable sum of money. Fewer; than 500 spectators braved i the cold and rain on Satur-| day to watch a team that had already been beaten 4-1 by Auckland and 2-1 by: Wellington. The N.Z.F.A. is hopeful; there will be a bigger crowd' at Auckland to see the 21s play the tourists in what will be virtually an under 22 test. These Indonesians, billed; as the national side before; the- tour but then found to be a bunch of raw, in- \ experienced teen-agers, werei Simply no match for the; national league-hardened: New Zealanders. MIS-MATCH It was one of the biggest mis-matches since the days overseas teams came to this country and nonchalantly chalked up double figures against representative teams. The only reason New Zealand did not dish out the same full treatment to In-i donesia was the failure of] its forwards to take more than eight of its countless; scoring chances. Had the winning margin been doubled New Zealand would not have been flattered. New Zealand broke through almost monotonously down both flanks but crossed balls either

failed to find their man or were not turned into goals as often as they should have been. This failure perturbed Mr Truman after the game. “It was another reason why I wanted the second test. This was something we should and could have worked on,” he said. New Zealand led 2-0 after 11 minutes, with goals by John Houghton and Earle Thomas, but although domi-i nating every phase of play I took another 46 minutes before lan Park came up from left back to hook home the third. Kevin Mulgrew got the next, 10 minutes later, and then in a late goal rush lan Ormond scored and Thomas took his total to four in the final eight minutes. New Zealand used both of its goal-keepers — Praven jJeram in the first half and | Phil Dando after the interval — and the only save either ; had to make was in the last iminute when Dando caught: I the ball under the bar from ] i a mis-kick by his team-mate. Houghton. In fact, the Indonesians, looking more like a team of schoolboys thoroughly crushed and humiliated, with some almost in tears of despair after the match, had only two shots at goal and both went yards wide. Park had an outstanding game, in defence and in his j over-lapping runs. and Adrian Elrick covered superIbly in the sweeper role. But lit was all too easy for any of the New Zealanders to igain any real satisfaction in the result. Footnote: It was New Zealland’s biggest soccer win in an official test, if that is i what it can be called.