Sorry day for Nomads

Press, 20 August 1984, Page 40

Sorry day for Nomads

By

DAVID LEGGAT

Nomads United should have got an inkling that it was not to be its day at English Park yesterday as early as the eighth minute of its Hertz Soccer League championship match against Rangers. It was then that one of Nomads key attackers, Tim Pearson, was helped off the pitch with bad knee trouble. From then on the dice seemed to be loaded against Nomads, and Rangers, despite not producing one of their best performances, hung on to win, 1-0. Pearson’s departure forced an early change in the Nomads planning. However, the real clincher came 18 minutes from the end when the referee, Neil Burt, sent off the Nomads captain, Jeff Neal, for kicking an opponent. Rangers had gone ahead six minutes earlier, but Nomads was still right in the hunt. The loss of the veteran Neal, who had been doing his usual solid, reliable job in the heart of the defence, left Nomads with a gaping hole at the back and, more importantly, without its most steadying influence. “One bad decision spoiled the whole game,” reflected an unhappy Nomads coach, Martin Stewart, after the match. There were few moments of excitement in the first half. Rangers got down to their work much earlier than Nomads, whose attack, without Pearson and with Allan Carville not 100 per cent fit, was lacking in penetration before halftime.

Mel Ritchie toiled away determinedly as the Rangers target man, but his supports, Mike Poole and John Boatwood, were below their best. Nomads were quick to mass in depth behind the ball when defending, giving Rangers little room to manoeuvre. Nomads relied on quick breaks and long balls for Carville and Allan Munro to chase. Munro forced the Rangers goal-keeper, Peter

Hawker, to push the ball past the post after rating into the penalty area. Unfortunately, he did not get himself into the area often enough, where be could have caused real problems. The Rangers defence generally coped satisfactorily with any danger, although there was a tendency to be caught out on the turn by the speed of Carville and Munro. Nomads almost took the lead nine minutes into the second half, when the ball lobbed over the head of Hawker, after some slack defensive work, but it was scrambled clear by a defender. Rangers should have gone ahead soon after when Boatwood fiercely volleyed a cross by Ritchie. However, the Nomads goal-keeper, Rod Renfrew,, produced the outstanding save of the match to block the ball from point blank range. A minute before the goal, Carville broke through, but slipped as he was confronted, by Hawker. It was the sort of chance Carville has been converting all season. Yesterday was not his day. Renfrew must take a large, portion of the blame for the goal. He lunged for the ball from Poole’s curling cross. He got only his fingertips to it, and Boatwood carefully volleyed the ball into the net. Neal’s departure spurred Nomads to fight on and, had Hawker not got one hand to Munro’s firm left foot shot three minutes from the end, its efforts would have been suitably rewarded. In the other play-off match, Roslyn-Wakari scraped in, 1-0, over North’ End United in Dunedin on Saturday. Ross Garner scored a penalty to enable Roslyn to stay in the hunt for the championship title, and a tilt at the Rothmans League elimination series. HERTZ LEAGUE

W D L F A Pt Rangers 2 0 0 4 1 6 Nomads 1 0 1 2 2 3 Roslyn 1 0 1 2 2 3 Nth E. 0 0 2 1 4 6