Two Chch players in soccer squad

Press, 9 October 1979, Page 32

Two Chch players in soccer squad

By

David Leggat

Two Trans Tours United 1 players have been included : in the New Zealand soccer 1 team to compete in the i Oceanio tournament in New ; Caledonia in December. .11 United's goal-keeper. Pe.ter ! . Moot, and the versatile mid-! fielder or defender. James! 1 Margaritis, are both included • in the 16-man squad, which will officially he known as a ; New Zealand B team. < 'fhe team will play two ' matches in Fiji on December t 4 and 6 before taking part • in the tournament from De- 1 ceniber 9 to Ift. 1 The chairman of the New -

|Zealand Football Association' i(Mr Terry Killalea) will lead the tour party, the manager and coach will be the new: national director of coaching, (Mr Allan Jones) and his assistant will be the present’ national team coach (Mr: I John Adshead). Moot, aged 21. improved considerably during the season. while Margaritis, 19. joined United late in the sea- 1 son after returning from an overseas trip. Both have obviously been chosen with an eye to the future and none of the New Zealand team at present touring the Middle; East and Britain has been selected.

* The squad has a very youthful look about it. with ’only five full national representatives having been chosen. Included in the squad are Michael White, a pupil at ißongotai College. Alister ! Elder, the leading goalscorer ! for Mount Roskill, which finished second in the northern league this, season, and Billy Harris, a member of the national under 16 team last year. The oldest member of lhe squad is Bill de Graaf, the robust Mount Wellington midfielder. At 28, he is four ’years older than Keith Hobbs (Hanimex United) and five- ! years older than his club-

v mate, John Leijh, and the bigt Manurewa centre-back, Lee ; -: Stickland. ti Yet while it is fine to pur- ! .sue a youth policy, perhaps, 1 e :the N.Z.F.A. has gone too far! 1 i.with this squad. The soccer r -New Zealand will encounter ' r ;will be very tough and physi- ; 'cal. , ■ It is unfortunate a place-j * could not be found for Trans. .’ Tours United’s former inter-’ [ national left back. lan Park : ’ who. at 26, has just com- j ' pleted one of his best seasons j '.and still- has several years , r remaining at the top. | Another unlucky to have ; - missed the trip is Mark Mc-.i

• Naughton, the powerful 24-year-old Nelson striker whose strength and purposeful approach could have made him a real success on [the hard, bumpy grounds. The full squad is: Frank van Hattum. Stickland, Mark Armstrong (Manurewa), Moot Margaritis (Trans Tours United). Alex Metzger. Garth McLeod (Blockhouse Bay), . Ricki Herbert, Ken Cresswell (Nelson), de Graaf, Leijh (Mount Wellington). Nigel Debenham (Dunedin City). Harris (Wellington Diamond United), Elder (Mount Roskill), White (Rongotai College), Hobbs (Hanimex United).