Rangers has biggest win of season

Press, 7 June 1982, Page 16

Rangers has biggest win of season

Rangers looked a championship certainty as it gave one of its closest Hertz league rivals, Nomads, a to 72 thumping in the soccer at English Park on Saturday. The win — the biggest in any league match this season — stretched Rangers’ competition lead to six points, with one match remaining in the first round.

Western beat Burndale, 1-0, to lie second ahead of Nomads on goal average, while in the other matches, the former frontrunners, Cashmere, slipped further back with a 0-1 loss to Shamrock, Woolston beat New Brighton, 1-0, Halswell beat South Canterbury, 3-1, and Christchurch United drew with Technical, 1-1. In the feature clash, five second half goals came Rangers’ way as the experienced former national league line-up began to swamp the Nomads' defence. It was a disappointing end to a match that had started out on a promising note for the youthful Martin Stewart-coached Nomads.

Nomads went 1-0 ahead after 10 minutes when its striker, Mike Banks, knocked a high, bouncing ball in the area out of the reach of the Rangers' goalkeeper, Peter Hawker, and into the net.

But instead of firming its grip on the game, Nomads then adopted a negative approach with several balls knocked back to the goalkeeper from well upfield. This gave Rangers a chance to settle into a rhythm after what had been a scrappy start, and its confidence grew after Gordon Faichnie equalised with a great left-foot drive from 25m in the twenty-fourth minute.

A Rangers' striker, Steve Welford, gave a taste of things to come a couple of minutes later

with a searing run on the right wing that took him past the defence and into the area, where his running shot was only stopped by the foot of the Nomads’ goalkeeper, Paul Pitt.

Pitt was beaten in the thirtieth minute though when a neat through ball from the big Rangers defender, Mark Lanauze, angled past him for Faichme to nudge in for a second goal. From this point Rangers took command with Jeff Blackburn getting in to the thick of things in the midfield and Gerard Kemp and Neil Francis taking control up front. ■

The scoring floodgate opened three minutes after the break when Kemp finished off a Rangers’ move that showed a glaring weakness in the Nomads' backline. From a Welford throwin near the bye-line, Francis tapped the ball square across the goalmouth to Kemp, who was under no pressure at all as he calmly slotted it home.

Three minutes later the Rangers' defender, Scott Dewar, made it 4-1 with a _ left-foot volley from close-in after another long throw-in. Francis, Welford and Kemp added further goals with Banks pegging one back for Nomads in the fifty-fourth minute after beating several Rangers defenders in the air to head in a free-kick. Welford, a forward, was perhaps the most obvious sign of Rangers’ superiority. He was able to burst upfield and into dangerous positions at will, using his speed to take him around any markers.

Richard Whitelaw was the pick of the Nomads players. The full-back worked hard for possession and, with a midfielder, Alan Munro, was running well up to the final whistle.

In the other key match. Shamrock edged out Cashmere at Riccarton Domain after the goalkeeper. Mark Hayston, palmed Peter Schuyt's shot into his net in the seventy-sixth minute. At Queen Elizabeth II Park, Woolston chalked up its third successive win when Stan McGaffin found the back of the net with a header in the thirteenth minute.

At Sprcydon Domain. Simon Myers put Technical ahead after 16 minutes when he picked up a rebound from the United goalkeeper. Trevor Cliff. John Ellis equalised for United. Western kept its championship hopes alive with a goal from Phil Ayers later in the first half at Elmwood Park. A comer taken by the captain. Ron Provan. found Ayers at the near post and he headed in.

Two second-half goals in the space of 10 minutes allowed Halswell to put the seal on an even match against South Canterbury. Dean Hammond put the Timaru-based side ahead in the opening spell, but Halswell scored the equaliser just before half-time. Hertz league standings:

Premier division results.— Halswell 1, Cashmere 4; New Brighton 4. Woolston 1; Shamrock 4; Rangiora 0; Rangers 1, H. 5.0.8. 1; Western 2. Technical 2.

P W D L F A Pt Rangers 10 9 1 28 9 18 Western 10 4 4 9 15 11 12 Nomads 10 5 2 3 16 17 12 Woolston 9 5 1 3 12 10 11 Cashmere 10 5 1 4 12 12 11 Shamrock 10 5 1 4 16 14 11 Chch Utd 10 3 3 4 12 11 9 Halswell 9 3 2 4 13 15 8 Brighton 10 2 4 4 12 15 8 Tech. 9 2 3 4 14 18 7 S. Cant. 10 1 3 6 7 17 5 Burndale 9 2 — 7 6 14 4