United’s win makes amends

Press, 28 July 1986, Page 27

United’s win makes amends

By

DAVID LEGGAT

With the assistance of

some unbelievably inept defensive work from its opponent, Christchurch Brother United convincingly beat University Cowan, 3-0, in its Rothmans Soccer League match at Queen Elizabeth II Park yesterday. . United thus made amends for its defeat by the same team earlier in the season in Auckland, and moved into third place in the championship, five points behind the leader, Masport Mount Wellington. The goals came at important stages of the match. The first, eight minutes before half-time, gave United a tangible reward after it had hit the woodwork three times in the first 34 minutes; the

second came just as University was giving United’s defence a searching examination; and the third, in the last minute, capped off a good day’s work. It was a bright, entertaining match, United producing flowing.soccer and enterprising inter-passing, University always dangerous on the break. United’s special heroes were at opposite ends of the pitch, the goal-keeper, Alan Stroud, and the bustling striker, Brent Berry. Stroud kept University scoreless with a string of fine saves, especially in the second half when, for a time, United’s marking went to pieces around its penalty area. Berry teamed well with John Hanson, pressured University’s defenders and

played a crucial part in the important second goal. United was worth its 1-0 half-time advantage, but for a time it seemed unlikely to get it Hanson sent a fine header against a post in the second minute; Keith Braithwaite could not quite get his foot to the ball in a great position right in front of the goal; Ceri Evans thundered an 18-metre drive against the crossbar and his central defensive partner, Gary Lund, volleyed the rebound wide; Hanson went round University’s goal-keeper, Frank van Hattum, but could not finish the job from an awkward angle; and Berry hit the junction of cross-bar and upright. University had only an Alister Elder header, just

wide, to show for its efforts before United went ahead. The ball fell to Johan Verweij from a goalmouth scramble and his shot from 10 metres took a slight deflection., and flew into the bottom comer. Stroud brilliantly tipped a clever effort from Andy Murphy over the bar and, in the second half, did the same thing to a Darron Jackson header and turned a firm shot from an unmarked Paul Rosser past a post. Then, on the hour with United’s lead looking a bit shaky, University made the first of two donations to United’s .cause. Berry pursued a bad back pass, beat van Hattum to the ball wide out, but there was no danger as the ball rolled harmlessly across a

deserted goalmouth to Murphy. Incredibly, he let the ball run slowly past him for United’s right back, Paul Hillis, following up behind, to stroke the ball into an empty net from 20 metres.

University took a risk and pushed its best player, Nigel Somerville, forward, but after,Stroud had reacted smartly to block a Dale Webster shot from 6 metres, United rounded off the afternoon’s entertainment, courtesy of another awful University blunder. Webster, looking to pass the ball back to van Hattum, gave it to Hanson who, probably not believing hiS good luck, promptly buried the ball in the bottom left comer for his tenth league goal of the season.