Boath ready for Spain

Press, 1 June 1982, Page 38

Boath ready for Spain

By

ALISTAIR ARMSTRONG

Some outstanding performances for New Zealand in the World Clip build-up games against Watford last month have not convinced Allan Boath that he can take a team place in Spain for granted.

The 24-year-old midfielder, who spent fonr years playing in Christchurch before signing up for West Adelaide in the Australian national league earlier this year, says there is no such thing as a “sure place.” “Obviously you like to leave the contry with a few good games under your belt but believe me, that counts for absolutely nothing,” he said. “When we leave for Spain it is all back to square one, with 22 guys up for selection.” . Boath was taken back from his traditional midfield role and slotted into the New Zealand defence for the first time when the “All Whites” played their opening match against Watford, in Christchurch on May 23. The move—designed to give New Zealand. an extra man at the back to counter the English club’s fourpronged striking line-up-worked, and Boath was kept in tHe position for the next two games. His success in marking the Waftord front man, Luther Blissett, in Christchurch, prompted the New Zealand manager, John Adshead, to describe him as. “the best player on the park.” Boath felt “all right” about playing in the defence although the choice was not his: “Your are doing a specific job, a one-versus-one, and if anything comes of it, you can attack as well,” he said. But any special praise would be forgotten in, the light of Mr Adshead’s words to the squad as it prepared to leave for Spain. “We were told that good performances in the past may count for nothing because it is a different ball game now,” Boath said. However, his good form cannot have hurt his chances of appearing against his former home land, Scotland, in Malaga on June 15.' That would give Boath a chance to compare himself with, players he met during his spell as a Scottish youth international, but the former Woolston W.M.C. player dismissed any chance of mixed loyalties. “I’m playing for New Zealand and I’ll be going out to beat Scotland, I’ll tell you that now,” he said. “If I went out on the 1 park and thought, well, coming from Scotland I hope we do win but I would feel sorry for them if we did—that sort of attitude is out the back door.” . Boath will return-immedi-ately to Australia once his World Cup commitments are ended and it is there that he will spend the foreseeable future. The money and the depth of good soccer players there were the main reasons: “If I do come back to Christ-, church it will be to settle, it' certainly won’t be to play soccer,” he said. •