Weather plays havoc with soccer

Press, 2 January 1979, Page 15

Weather plays havoc with soccer

KZPA-Reuter London Liverpool has started 1979 rhe re it has been all season -- in top of English soccer’s First Division. Its neighbour, Everton, Huffed a chance to oxertake tixerpool when held 1-1 at home Tottenham Hotspur. Liverpool's match, like 13 others n England and almost the enIre Scottish programme, was icstponed after the British win er turned nasty with a bizare tom bi nation of floods, snow, and (ales. Ricardo Villa, usually over tiadowed in the Tottenham side ly his brilliant fellow-Argentine, >svaldo Ardiles. thwarted Everon. He dominated the midfield ind created the equaliser for ‘clin Lee with a lovely run three fimutes before half-time. Mick Lyons had put Everton n front after 28 minutes, but his earn hit b> injuries to four :e\ nlayers. showed little attack ng flair and Tottenham deserved (s point. That result was a surprise, and here were more shocks at Old ‘rafford where West Bromwich ilbion. the rising star of EngIsh soccer, won by 5-3 an extrardinarv match against Manche.* er United. The game was played in a near dizzard and fixe of the goals

i came in a 12-minute burst in the< first half. 1 Liverpool now has a game in hand and a better goal average' t|than Everton, but the teams are! . level on 33 points. West Brom- > wich, which has played two less J than Everton, is third on 31 : points. si There were plenty of goals ■ elsewhere in the First Division. 5 Poor, struggling Chelsea was i slammed. 5-1, at Ipswich. Arnold • Muhren scored two goals and 1 ! created another. Queen’s Park Rangers, another London club in trouble, lost, 4-1. » at home to improving Leeds. Ar.senal maintained its challenge, - beating the bottom club. Binning-1 I. ham. 3-1, without looking com-i r pletely convincing. Frank Staple-1 ? ton. the captain. Pat Rice, and, Alan Sunderland scored while; i Trevor Francis replied with a 5 penalty. r Wolverhalnpton. another lowly i club, was unlucky not to beat I Coventry. Steve Daley put theteam in front after 10 minutes i 1 and it controlled the match, but [ 1 Tommy Hutchison squeaked an: i equaliser ne?r the end. In the other First Division - match to escape the weather/ . Manchester City, which has spent a fortune on players and has still' i managed to get steadily worse, s produced another dismal per-

formance at Bristol City. But it managed to get a point. A total of 30 English and Scottish League games were postponed. Crystal Palace stayed on top of the Second Division, although the only club in the top four to drop a point. Orient, with a late equaliser from Peter Kitchen, earned a surprise 1-1 away draw, while Palace’s main rival was playing at home and winning. Stoke, helped by a bright debut from its new boy. Pau! Randall, beat Notts County. 2-0. Brighton beat Newcastle. 2-0. and West Hame returned to form with a 4-0 win over Blackburn, whose defender John Curtis, scored two own goals. Just one match was played ini the Scottish premier division and Aberdeen missed a chance to close on the leader Dundee United bv losing 2-1 at home to Morton. Results: — ENGLISH LEAGUE Division one.—Arsenal 3. Birmingham City 1; Bristol City 1, Manchester City 1; Everton 1, Tottenham Hotspur 1; Ipswich Town 5. Chelsea 1; Manchester United 3. West Bromwich Albion 5: Queen's Park Rangers 1. Leeds United 4; Wolverhampton Wanderers 1, Coventry City 1.

Postponed.—Aston villa v. 80l ton Wanderers; Middlesbrough v Derby County; Nottingham Forest v. Norwich City; and Southamp ton v. Liverpool. Division two.—Brighton ant Hove Albion 2. Newcastle Unitec 0; Burnley ti, Cardiff City 0; Urys tai Palace 1, Orient 1; Fulhan 1, Luton Town 0; Oldham Ath letic 0. Charlton Athletic 3; Pres ton North End 1. Bristol Rover: 1: Sheffield United 3, Cambridge United 3; Stoke City 2. Nott: County 0; West Ham United 4 Blackburn Rovers 0. Postponed.—Mill wall v. Lei tester City; and Sunderland v Wrexham. Division three. —Brentford (I Carlisle United 0; Bury 0. Mans field Town 0; Exeter City 3, Lin I coin Citx 2; Gillingham 2. Ply ‘ mouth Argyle 0; Oxford Unitei 2. Walsall 1; Peterborough Unite' iO, Southend United 1: Swanse; City 1. Blackpool 0; Watford 2 ; Sw-ndon Town 0. Postponed.—Chester v. R other ham; Chesterfield v. Shrewsbury and Hull City v. Colcheste United. Division four.—Bradford Cit 2, Bournemouth 1; Newpor County 1. Port Vale 0; Northamt i ton Town 2. Halifax Town 1 i Scunthorpe United 0, Rochdal 4; Wigan Athletic 3. Aldersho 12.

Postponed.—Barnsley v. Grim: [by Town; Doncaster Borers , ( I Hereford United; Huddersfiel (Town v. Torquay United: Rear : ing v. Hartlepool United; Wimblr 1[ don v. Darlington; and York Cit 1 v. Crewe Alexandra. SCOTTISH LEAGUE 1 Premier division. —Aberdeen Morton 2. ' Postponed.-—Celtic v. Heart: * Hibernian v. Rangers; Partie e Thistle v. Dundee United; an * St Mirren v. Motherwell. Division one.—Hamilton Ac demieais 2, St Johnstone Queen of the South 0, Ayr Unite * I- . ; Postponed. — Dumbarton ■[Stirling Albion; Dundee v. A J j breath; Kilmarnock v. Alrdri onians; Montrose v. Clyde; ar jlßaith Rovers v. Clydebank. Division two (all six postponed i—Albion Rovers v. Falkirk; AH< , iv. Brechin Citv; Berwick Range ■ V. Stenhousemuir; Cowdenbeai . iv. Meadowbank Thistle; Ea .'[Stirling v. Dunfermine; At ,'.l letic Forfar Athletic v. East Fif NORTHERN IRISH LEAGUE yi Ards 2. Distillery 0; Ballymei ■ti United I. Coleraine 1; Clifto >-[ ville 3, Bangor 0; Crusaders li’Glenavon 0; Glentoran 0, Lari e 2. it Postponed.—Portadown v. Li 1 field.