United starts season impressively

Press, 18 March 1985, Page 68

United starts season impressively

By

DAVID LEGGAT

An enterprising, purposeful performance by Christchurch Brother United enabled it to begin its Rothmans Soccer League campaign on a successful note at English Park yesterday. United was far too strong for an uninventive, listless Napier City Rovers in unpleasant. difficult conditions, and won 3-0.

Playing with a strong wind behind it in the first half, Napier had no ideas on how to break down a United defence in which the goalkeeper, Steve Baker, had hardly anything to do. The left back, Kevin Calder, did an excellent job on the dangerous Harry Clarke, marking him effectively out of the match; and the central pairing, Ceri Evans and Bobby Almond, had no difficulty keeping Peter Wain-

wright and Lance Bauerfiend firmly shackled. The key to United’s success, however, was the work of the mid-field quartet, George Caird, Russell Cotton, Keith Braithwaite and Matt Eggelston. All four made positive contributions. The front pair, David Jackson and Alan Stroud, got better as the match progressed. Jackson, all deft flicks and sharp turns, was an important cog in a

machine which seemed to receive a fresh dose of juice at half-time. There were few chances before the interval, indeed the closest Napier came to scoring was when Evans pushed the ball just wide oi his own goal in attempting to clear. For the first 20 minutes of the second-half, United had Napier firmly under the hammer, but failed to score. Stroud, with a brilliant vol-

ley, Almond, surging into the penalty area from the back, Caird and Jackson peppered David Biland, the Napier goal-keeper. With Napier hanging on as much by good luck as good management, there was a sneaking suspicion United might loosen its grip. It did not and Jackson’s free header from Cotton’s left wing corner in the sixtyseventh minute opened the gates.

Bending into the task with relish, United pressed forward in waves and put the match beyond Napier’s reach five minutes later. Cotton, distributing efficiently, crossed to Eggelston, who nodded the ball down for Jackson, who pounced smartly on the loose ball to rifle it past Biland. Knocking the ball about with increasing confidence, United looked an impressive

unit. The sure sign of a team in complete control is when everyone wants the ball. There was no shortage of options for the player on the ball, with the backs and mid-field men all making thrustful runs. Stroud, who looked out of sorts early on, made considerable strides in the second-half. His sharp turn and fine shot from 20 metres bounced off the cross-bar with

Biland beaten, and then he played a significant part in the third goal. Cotton played a long ball forward, with the Napier defence fully stretched, yet again. Stroud shrugged off the challenge of the youth international, Shane Clapperton, and his perfectly judged square pass reached Eggelston who. oozing confidence, thumped the ball into the net, on the run, from 18 metres.