T.T.U.’s hopes on Almond

Press, 11 April 1977, Page 22

T.T.U.’s hopes on Almond

By BARNEY ZWARTZ ‘] Bobby Almond, the Transj Tours United sweeper, will! hold an awful amount of re-, sponsibility when his side' meets Mount Wellington at Newmarket Park today in! the Air New Zealand Cup soccer final. The Mount, United’s adversary of old, starts thej game strongly favoured to I take the lucrative cup for the third time in the four; seasons it has been com-1 peted for.

The Auckland side contains seven of New Zealand’s recent World Cupj squad and has the home advantage. Both sides have been in near-irresistible form so far, this season, but the Mount] has a much stronger attack. I This is why so much ] depends on Almond, and how well he holds the comparatively inexperienced , United defence. It is his ex- ( perience and control that I might give United counter- | attacking chances against such a powerful combination.

It is, however, traditionally highly dangerous to disparage United’s chances. Much also depends on how both sides recuperate from their hard, bruising games on Saturday.

T.T.U. beat Wellington i Diamond United on penalties, after the scores were locked' 1-1 after extra time, while! the Mount beat Courier!: Rangers, 2-1. This was a particularly hard-fought j affair — a war of attrition — with Courier including |1 seven former Mount players jin its side. '■ Further hope is given in ; that it will be the third time ' in as many games that | United has faced a team j which has already scored al' five goal victory. W.D.U. scored five against! Blockhouse Bay and both:, Hamilton and the Mount hitl, five past Caversham, but] none has yet got more than!, one past United. It drew 1-I'l with both Hamilton and 1 i W.D.U. h United and Mount games 11 are traditionally tight'! I matches with little given I away. The two have met in’l : two finals since the in-! 1 iception of the Rothmansj' National League. In 1972: United won the Lion Chat-!' ham Cup, 2-1, after 4-4 andjj 1-1 draws, while in 1975 the ] Mount won the Air New j Zealand tournament, 3-2,r

after a 1-1 draw. i New Brighton has an ■equally difficult prospect ini ! meeting Hamilton at Queen] (Elizabeth II Park today in; the league, in the country’s j most glamorous team’s second visit to Christchurch wi(thin nine days. Again, Hamilton must be strongly favoured. As a very solid tactical side with few weaknesses, it also has a particularly promising attack, with Keith Nelson and Alf (Stamp both having scored three goals so far in two (national league matches. I But yet again, a Brighton (upset is never impossible. The (duel between Jo Verweij and Hamilton’s tall defender, I Alex Young, in the air will be highly interesting, as will be Mike Giubb’s speed—(especially if he manages to (get behind the defence and! into space. In other national league, games tomorrow, the hapless jCaversham team has its best; ichance of success for its) ifirst win at home to Eastern: (Suburbs. Nelson should be j jtoo strong for Stop Out, having already beaten the Hutt side, 4-0, in the Air New (Zealand tournament, and ’North Shore should gain an-1

other victory against Dunedin City. I Two league games were j played oh Saturday, Nelson drawing 1-1 with Dunedin City in a ragged game that offered spectators little in the w'ay of skill or entertainment. Hamilton beat Caversham. 5-0, in Dunedin, with Alf Stamp scoring a first half hattrick against his former club. Keith Nelson scored the other two.

Blockhouse Bay beat Eastern Suburbs, 1-0, on Wednesday night to lead the table jointly with W.D.U., but having played an extra game. Results:— Wednesday: Blockhouse Ray 1 iW. Fish), Eastern Suburbs o—half-time 0-0. Saturday: Caversham 0. Hamilton 5 (A. Stamp 3, K. Nelson 2. 1 pen.)— half-time 0-4. Nelson I (E. James). Dunedin City 1 (A. Pye)—half-time 0-1.

p W D L F A Pts W.D.U. 9 y "* ■■■ — K 1 4 Blockhouse 3 2 — 1 3 6 4 Hamilton 2 1 1 — 6 1 3 Nelson 2 1 1 — 2 I 3 Mt Wgtn 1 1 — — 3 0 2 Brighton 1 — 1 4 1 2 North Shore 2 i — 1 2 5 Stop Out 1 — i — 1 1 i T.T. United 1 — i —— 1 1 j E. Subs 2 — 1 1 1 2 1 Dn City 3 — 1 2 2 9 1 Caversham 3 — 3 2 9 (T.T.U. report — Page 11)