Tough double-header for United in N.I.

Press, 5 June 1982, Page 60

Tough double-header for United in N.I.

Christchurch Mogal United may find Hanimex North Shore tougher than usual to beat when the two teams face each other in the Rothmans league soccer match in Auckland today. The Aucklanders, presently lying third in the competition, will be “christening” their new- ground at Lake Road, Davenport, and after ten years of fund-raising and hard work to set it up, the club will be keen to ensure the venue doesn’t kick-off on a losing note. T. ; United will be rounding out its North Island visit with a match against NapierCity Rovers on Monday.

United drew with Shore, 00, and beat Napier, 3-0, earlier this season and a repeat of those results'would be enough to satisfy the Christchurch coach, Terry Conley, who is aiming for at least two points this weekend. . Shore will be without its World Cup players, Duncan Cole and Adrian Elrick, but United may be equally short of men if a couple of nagging injuries have not cleared up. The striker, Johan Verweij, has been out of training with an injured knee which has been slow to

respond to physiotherapy, while Mark McCarrick, the left back, has aggravated an ankle injury. < Paul Wilkinson, the big centre half, also has an ankle injury, but all three players will be travelling north with United’s 15-man squad. Napier was traditionally hard to beat at its home ground and Mr Conley said he would be surprised if it had riot learned a little since the two sides’ last encounter. In the meantime, United has signed a new goalkeeper, Trevor Cliff, formerly of Halswell, to replace the departed Peter Moot. Moot has been the reserve goalkeeper

for United’s Rothmans team recently and has now decided “to do other things” aside from soccer, Mr Conley said. Cliff,- aged 20, had been spotted by United’s assistant coach, Terry Mann. Rangers and Nomads will meet at English Park tomorrow in what could be the deciding Hertz regional league match of the season. Rangers has won its past eight matches and a further win against the team that is only four points astray of it at the head of the points table could virtually seal the championship on present form. Other matches among this

week-end’s double-headers that could have an important bearing on the outcome of the league are the Shamrock . v. Cashmere clash today and the Nomads v. Western and Woolston W.M.C. v, Christchurch United reserves on Monday. In women’s soccer, the Canterbury team will be playing in Dunedin today in the South Island championships, and its form there should provide a useful pointer to how it might perform in the National championships in Christchurch next August. The Canterbury coach, Nick De Meyer, will be field-

ing a number of new caps in Dunedin, where his team is the defending champion. The Canterbury A squad for the tournament is: Linda Robinson (Rangers), Joanne Kirner (Rangers), Noeline Rutherford (Nomads), Kathy Seaward (Nomads), Karen Jacobs (University), Kay Hancock (Rangers), Shiree Fairless (North Beach), Ingrid Hall (Rangers), Tina Faichnie (Rangers), Debbie Hindle (Rangers), Julia Campbell (Nomads), Carolyn Johnson (North Beach), Michell Hudson (Rangers), Rowena Fulriam (Rangers), Debbie McKay (Rangers), Carol Adamson (Nomads).