Coach prefers unchanged side

Press, 7 May 1983, Page 64

Coach prefers unchanged side

By

DAVID LEGGAT

Predictably, when last week-end’s result is recalled, Christchurch Mogal United’s manager, Mr Terry Conley, would like to name an unchanged team for tomorrow’s Rothmans Soccer League game against Wellington Diamond United at Queen Elizabeth II Park. Whether he does so will depend on how quickly his former international defender, Bobby Almond, recovers from the bad hand injury he suffered the previous week. If Almond is fit to return to duty, as seems likely, he will take the place lan France, who performed cap-

ably during United’s 6-2 hammering of Dunedin .Technical. Almond’s return, however, would do nothing but strengthen the team. The ankle which the clever mid-fielder, Keith Braithwaite, damaged almost a month ago will be tested in the club’s reserve side today. However, even if fully fit, he might struggle to find a place in the middle four of Kees Doomenbal, Graeme Archer, ■ Allan Boath and Grant Turner, which is performing with increasing conviction. At United’s training session on Thursday evening, Ricky Hill, its imported striker, broke down with an injured ’ foot. However, no

decision on his availability will be made until today, or even as late as tomorrow morning. In addition to Almond and Braithwaite, both Johann and Marcel Verweij have been receiving treatment this week for knocks suffered in Dunedin. However, these are minor and should not prevent them taking their places for what is sure to be one of United’s toughest home games this winter. The Wellington side had a fine 3-1 win over Mount Wellington last Sunday and it has an excellent tactician in Mr Barrie Truman as its coas. It is a match United must

win if it is to finish at the top of the points table when the four-week league break begins, after next weekend’s round. With its final first round match being against the Mount in Auckland, and the points table being so tight — just three cover nine teams — maximum points would be highly desirable. The evenness of the competition has resulted in some surprising results this season — indeed just one team, Dunedin Technical, now eight points adrift at the bottom, seems to be out of its depth. The remaining Rothmans League games tonwrrow are Dunedin City v. Gisborne City, Hanimex-North

Shore v. Papatoetoe, Mount Wellington v. McKee Nelson United, National Mutual, Miramar v. Napier City Rovers and Manurewa v. Dunedin Technical. The top four teams in the Hertz League will meet in what should be a fascinating round of matches today. The competition leader, Shamrock, will play Christchurch United reserves at Spreydon Domain, while Woolston W.M.C. will ’face Rangers at English Park Cashmere-Wanderers, which is improving rapidly after a poor start, will play Western; New Brighton will meet South Canterbury United; and the bottomplaced Halswell United will face Nomads United.