Poor soccer display by United

Press, 10 May 1982, Page 3

Poor soccer display by United

A last-minute penaltytucked away by the East Coast Bays "defender, Steve Tasker, brought Christchurch Mogal United’s seven-game, unbeaten run to an abrupt end in the Rothmans league soccer at English Park yesterday. Tasker’s eighty-ninth minute penalty gave Bays a 1-0 win which it could feel extremely lucky to have picked up. Although neither side found much room to move on attack, United worked hard in the second spell and on occasions put together some promising moves. But as was the case in its match against Invercargill Thistle last week, the home side found to its cost that moves have to be converted to win games. The amount of possession wasted by inaccurate passes from both teams detracted from the game as a spectacle. The United captain, Kees Doornenbal was one of several players guilty of this and he was probably relieved to be substituted at halftime. The veteran striker had a stomach ailment during the week and came off feeling jaded. The first half was uneventful with neither goalkeeper, Duncan Martin (Bays) or Michael Fulham, having much to do. A midfielder, Graeme

Archer, came nearest with two soft chances for United, one an ambitious right-footer from the edge of the area in the second minute which went wide and the other a header on to a nice cross from Alan South which Martin grabbed. Terry Gore and Rod Weir had misses for Bays. United came out looking more purposeful after the break, with Keith Braithwaite having a well-struck left-footer rescued by Martin in the forty-eighth minute and then Archer figuring in three chances in the next 18 minutes. \ The first came seven minutes after the interval when a high floater from well out was only stopped at the bar by a well-judged leap from Martin. Doornenbal’s substitute, Michael Cantin, started what was perhaps United’s most cohesive movement of the match with a nippy run on the right wing in the seventieth minute.

The 19-year-old striker beat several defenders before square-passing to Archer, who pushed the ball up for Berry to shoot wide.

The United back four confined Bays’ chances to longdistance drives, the best coming from Peter Forde mid-way through. United attempted to steal a late goal but in the final 10

minutes Bays hauled 10 men back in the area to snuff out any opportunities. It was against the run of play that Bays launched itself up-field and was awarded a penalty by the referee, Mr Neil Burt. Keith Braithwaite was the infringer when he fouled the Bays front-man. Doug Mclntosh. in an attempted tackle near the bye-line. Tasker’s low drive to the left was well anticiapted by Fulham, but in spite of a fulHenth dive the ’keeper could only get a glove to the ball before it rifled into the net just inside the post.

The performance of the goalkeepers and both sets of defenders was a highlight of the game. Martin, aged 19, and Fulham, Canterbury’s “Goalkeeper of the Year" last year, both impressed with their confident, tidy ball-handling. United's centre backs, Paul . Wilkinson and Ceri Evans, cut out the high ball time and again and Evans gave his midfielders a ready supply of quality ball to work with. For Bays, v Jimmy Hogg and Tasker worked well, with Hogg closing down any space Verweij could find.

The United coach, Terry Conley, said after the match that the performance of both teams was a “disgrace.” "I should apologise to our supporters," he said. “We made far too many fundamental mistakes —. I have never seen so much possession given away in my life.” The Bays penalty might more correctly have been limited to an indirect free kick. .. “If two players go for the ball and one is kicking high, that is dangerous play which gets an indirect free kick — but that is just by-the-by,” he said.