Sixth straight win gives Manurewa outright lead

Press, 14 April 1980, Page 3

Sixth straight win gives Manurewa outright lead

Too much scrappy play dominated a Rothmans Soccer League match between Manurewa and - Rangers yesterday but there was no doubting Manurewa’s right to its 2-1 win.

The win, Manurewa’s sixth from six games, puts it on top of the points table, one point ahead of Trans Tours United. Manurewa’s success yesterday came partly because it took two of several scoring opportunities while Rangers took ■ none and needed an own goal to bring it level early in the second half. Manurewa made too many mistakes to be happy about its performance but its attack always seemed more likely to score and its defence generally had a more composed look about it.

Rangers had no shortage of scoring opportunities, with seven good chances during the match. Manurewa’s two in-form strikers, Mark Armstrong and Alister Elder, scored one goal each to lift their tallies for the competition to four and five respectively. Armstrong particularly was always dangerous. In the first half, Armstrong headed an Elder cross against the post, Elder had a

shot blocked by Rangers’ goal-keeper, Trevor Cliff, and Chris Turner, who produced several fine touches from the midfield, pushed his shot wide after good work by Armstrong and Elder.

Rangers’ first clear chance did not come until the twen-ty-seventh minute when Francis beat Robert Leijh to the ball and got in a low left-foot shot which was saved. ~ • Manurewa’s first goal was a blow for the veteran Rangers right back, .John Oliver: the ball ran between his legs and Elder kicked the ball between Cliff and the post to give his team the lead. Five minutes later Francis was clear but shot high and wide from an angle. Right on half-time Oliver’s low drive from 25m caught Manurewa’s goal-keeper, Frank van Hattum, by surprise and he just got a hand to the ball to deflect it. Early in the second half, van Hattum sprinted out of his penalty area to block a shot from lan Cowan who had charged clear at halfway. Francis beat two tackles but was brought tjown badly by Manurewa’s captain, David Bright, a move which resulted in a caution.

Gordon Faichnie, a Rangers midfielder, was also cautioned for persistent misconduct. In the thirteenth minute, Bright under pressure, kicked the ball over van Hatturn’s head while trying to clear a through ball to level the scores.

Geoff Taylor hit the ball over the bar from outside the area after, a strong run but Manurewa regained the lead nine minutes later when Armstrong headed the ball past the defence at a corner. Francis had another chance when he was put clear straight after the goal

but van Hattum blocked his shot. Then twice in a minute Armstrong got in headers from comers, The first was allowed to roll close past the post for a comer and the second was tipped over the bar by Cliff. A timely tackle by Trevor Blake stopped Armstrong as the latter was lining up a shot* A minutfcfelater Armstrong shrugged off two challenges and hammered a shot just over the bar from 20m, as did Derek Selkirk soon after. The final chance fell to Francis, who drove a shot wide from 15m.