T.T.U. has enforced stay in Auckland

Press, 30 August 1977, Page 36

T.T.U. has enforced stay in Auckland

By

DAVID LEGGAT

The 1977 Rothmans National League soccer season has. from a transport point of view, become a shambles. Some of the chaotic disruptions have been caused by poor planning, but whatever the reason, scarcely a round has gone by without at least one match being postponed.

Trans Tours United was expected home from Auckland last evening after its

match against Mount Wellington on Saturday. It appears that the team could not get on a flight back on Saturday night or Sunday and the United secretary (Mr Paul Pascoe) said last evening that he. envisaged that the trip would cost an extra $6OO.

The cost of one night’s acommodation for the team is $lBO. so that if the team was forced to stay over last night, the total cost would be $540.

Besides that- there is also the cost of the players’ i meals. Mr Pascoe said that ; the possibility of chartering a • flight back had been ex- ' plored but Air North, Ltd, : which runs three 20-seater I Herons, was unable to fly i the team back to Christchurch.

"It seems that the firm does not have a licence to fly to Christchurch, so that was the end of that,” said Mr Pascoe.

He said that the players were upset about the delay. “They have no shaving gear, no change of clothes and no money. The only thing that they are pleased about is the result of the match.” Mr Pascoe added that the club tried to get the players back in smaller groups but when the United manager (Mr John Adam) went to the airport on Sunday he was told that there was no way that United would get back that day. The players evidently decided to try to get on standby but were not told that to do that, they would have to hand in their tickets.