United beats arch-rival

Press, 31 March 1980, Page 34

United beats arch-rival

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DAVID LEGGAT

Trans Tours United’s hopes l of a record fourth Rothmans Soccer League title took a giant step forward yesterday when it beat its arch-rival, Mount Wellington, 2-1, at English Park.

It was United’s first xvin over the Mount in the league since 1977. But while United can take satisfaction over that and can be pleased that it was marginally the better of the two teams over all, the general standard of the match was disappointingly low. . considering these are certain to be among the teip title contenders at the. end of • the competition. . • The extra edge of flair and class that the Mount enjoyed last season, when it won the league by a huge margin of 14 points, was sadly lacking. Perhaps this was partlv because of the absence through injury of Brian Turner, its chief organiser and a player with an outstanding ability to initiate and direct attacks.

Instead, there was uncertain defence, a hard-working but uninspired midfield and a fairly ordinary attack. There was also a distinct lack of teamwork on occasions and yet despite all these shortcomings, the Mount almost managed to win the match. United, with the sun and wind at its back in the first half, settled more quickly but could only create a total of three chances in the first half to the Mount’s one. Steve Sumner hit a fine left-foot shot from the edge of the penalty area forcing the Mount’s international goal-keeper, Sandy Davie, to deflect the ball wide, after five minutes.

One of the Mount’s four midfielders, Ken Billot, turned the ball past the post from a corner soon after, and Michael Glubb, United’s most dangerous player, came desperately close twice in the last five minutes of the half.

Brent Simpson flicked on for Glubb whose shot from an awkward angle lobbed over Davie’s head and bounced across the face of the goal. Right on half-time, Bobby Almond pushed the ball down the left wing and Frank McKay’s accurate cross was headed just wide by Glubb.

The remainder of the hall was confined mainly tq tight, tense play in the middle of the field. Sumner and Billot, and lan Marshall, who had a good game, and the stocky Warren Fleet, had some stern tussles but the match needed a goal tq bring back life into wha{ was an unspectacular match.

That goal came after 58 minutes when Glubb shrug-, ged off a challenge from Stuart Carruthers. broke clear, picked his spot from an acute angle and with the precision of a surgeon slipped the ball past Davie into the comer of the net.

Strangely United was completely unable to canitalise on the goal. Indeed', the Mount took virtually complete charge for the next 15 minutes.

Fortunately for United, whose defence right through the match had a decidedly shaky look about it. the Mount, mainly through its own inefficiency, was unable to make much headway until the seventy-fifth minute when John Leijh ran through a seeminglv stationary defence to push the ball past United’s er, Neville Petrie, from 15 metres.

The goal seemed to shake some sense of urgency into United, which appeared to have handed over the midfield soon after the opening goal. However, the scrappv play which marred much o'f the match as a spectacle continued.

The winning goal came in controversial circumstances. The referee (Mr Terry Parker, of Marlborough) awarded United a penalty when McKay had been brought down. After a discussion with a linesman, he changed his decision to a free-kick just outside the penalty area.

Sumner’s finely-judged free-kick floated over the head of Davie and lan Park at the far post and nudged th eball info the net. Few individuals stood out in the match, but one who did impress was United’s right back, Ross Durant. He was the pick of the United defence which appeared to suffer from a bad lack of communication at times.

Glubb, Marshall and Allan Boath were others who did their reputations no harm in a match which failed to reach the heights that previous encounters between these sides have scaled.