T.T.U. copes with pressure and beats Nelson 3-0

Press, 23 May 1977, Page 3

T.T.U. copes with pressure and beats Nelson 3-0

Special correspondent Nelson Playing in torrential rain throughout the full 90 minutes, Trans Tours United, with its professional calm, I held the Nelson United forwards when the pressure was on, then demonstrated the art of the quick breakaway by snatching two goals (in the first half of their | Rothmans soccer league match at Nelson yesterday. United scored again 19 minutes into the second half after Nelson had missed three or four good scoring apportunities. The final score was 3-0. The teams were: Nelson: Keith Barrett, David Brydon, Kevin Fallon, John Slotemaker, Charlie

Ure, John Enoka, Dave Powdreil, Carl Steele, Eric James, Ken Cresswell, Keith Mackay. United: Keith Bowley, Ross Durant, Glen Adam, Bobby Almond, Richard Mulligan, Laurie Blyth, Tommy Sermanni, Steve . Sumner, Bill Arney, Kees Doornenbal, and Mark McNaughton. The referee was Gary Fleet (Wellington).

Heavy overnight rain had made the pitch greasy though free from surface water and both sides took a little while to settle down to the conditions. Neither goalkeeper was seriously troubled in the opening 15 minutes as Nelson gradually won the battle for possession of the midfield.

Glen Adam showed up well during this period of containment but it was not until the twenty-eighth min-

ute that Trans Tours United broke out of its shell. Having sat back on defence for most of the game, a devastating two minutes of opportunist finishing set the seal on the half as Steve Sumner broke down the left wing to cross for Tommy Sermanni , to cut the ball into the net for the first goal. [ The Nelson defence hardly' had time to gather its senses! before Sermanni was in like; a whippet to bang the sec- ’ ond goal home two minutes I later. With its unbeaten home( record looking decidedly shaky at this point, Nelson tried hard to pull one back before half-time but the composed T.T.U. . defence kept them at bay with little getting through to • trouble Keith Bowley. Nelson looked a revitalised side as a wall of red

shirts surged towards the United goal but again the tight defence combined with some poor finishing enabled them to survive the all-im-portant first 15 minutes. As in the first half, Trans Tours showed how lethal it can be on the break when Sermanni found himself clear on the half way line. (Cutting in for goal from the left wing he drew the keeper (Keith Barrett, off his goal line before laying the ball [into the path of Kees Doornenbal to crash into the net (from 10 metres. Having knocked home the final nail, Trans Tours was content to play the ball aroung; which it did with true professionalism. Nelson had little answer to its brand of football and looked on the day to be holding a flattering position in the league.