AIR NEW ZEALAND SOCCER United and Brighton in area cup final

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34097, 8 March 1976, Page 19

AIR NEW ZEALAND SOCCER United and Brighton in area cup final

6;

DERRICK MANSBRIDGE

I he first of the 1976 season clashes between the two Rothmans National Soccer League clubs. Christchuurch I nited and New Brighton, will take place at English Park next Sunday.

Both won their matches yesterday — I nited 1-1 over Rangers and Brighton 6-0 against Timaru City — to qualify for the Canterbury area final of the Air New Zealand tournament.

] Rangers" strong and, t , plucky performance came to: pieces only in the last five I; minutes when United; snatched two spectacular! “ goals to turn an unsafe-look-, ; ing 2-1 margin into a com-’ :, prehensive victory. Until that point, and des-! i pite United’s over-all kuperi-l Lority, the result might have, .[gone either way. Only three i! minutes before United made! Hits belated burst Rangers /had had the chance to throw! -;the maten into the melting! 1 1 pot again. ! BACK TO TARGET , ! The ball came to Neil ', Francis less than eight yards’ , from United’s goal, after a! '! heading duel to a right-wing’ J corner from Chris Cawley.!. . Francis had his back to his ' target — but, even more imIi portant — the ball reached ■ :him fractionally too high to . make his task an easy one. 1 He turned on it, but his right foot swung under

| the ball and the shot I soared yards over the bar. it was almost as if the narrow escape bad stung I nited into posith e action. And the goal which put the side 3-1 ahead, and ! virtually clinched the match, was ' we JI worthx of the occasion. It was a sweeping movement from one diagonal of the field to the other, through Trevor 1 Reece. Jan Park, Kevin Mulgrew.j ] and Bill Atney, Finally. Arney i the hail into the middle' lor Kees Doornenbal to crash it home. SAFE FINISHER Two minutes later Norm an ■Moran put the seai on United's. I victory, his sheer persistency! : gaining an opening for his usu-- , ailj- safe finishing from cluse. ■ range. Ln the end. then. United won j convincingly, but the Hangers'; i supporters had their moments. ■ ' In fact. Hangers scored first, after 14 minutes, when Geoff i Taylor swept through to meet a ; : low, hard corner from Cawley and head home an unstoppable: i goal. It took United 10 minutes to 1 , : get back on terms, and another ■ 39 minutes to get its nose in , . front for the first time. The; - ] equaliser, scored by Moran, was h j anot her superbly made and | ’taken goal, Arney crossing per-!] fectly into an open space for • ! Moran to beat Colin Attridge to,; .it and give Owen Nuttridge no. ( chance. • ’ United had mure than enough|<

chances to score again, long before it did. Twice Mulgrew was off target, but when lie finally made his mark it was an indelible one. Put awa\ b\ Amex. Mulgreu made ground quicklx and from 20 yards drove the ball across the face of Nuttridge and into the far cornet of the net. It was a masterlx goal. Cnited looked -harp and strong in its first major test since carrx- : ing off tile league-up double last | season. The two newvomeis. ; ’{eece and Bobbx Mmond. hax e slotted in perfectly; Moran is in great form; Amex is doing sup erb things: and Doorncnbal again is m the thick of everything If there was an area of some [ concern it was tnainlx when the defence came under sex ere pressure, as it did at times from Cawley and Taylor. Rangers had no reason to be disappointed. Its side is compact enough to win the Broadlands Southern League title again—and that, as its coach. lan Marshall, said before yesterday’s game, “is number one priority."’ SIX FOR BRIGHTON Brighton had its troubles against Timaru City at Caroline Bay until the last 20 minutes, xvhen its greater fitness and better finishing proved too much for the South Canterburx’ side. Brighton led 2-0 at half-time, but it would not have Haltered Timaru if it had been able to i reduce the deficit at that stage.! even to be on level terms. But Timaru xvas really out of its ■ lass in th® lato» stages.