Halswell needs one win to clinch title

Press, 28 July 1986, Page 29

Halswell needs one win to clinch title

Victory over its only rival for the title, New Brighton, next week-end will asure Andas Halswell United of winning the Hertz Soccer League’s northern zone competition this season. With Brighton’s match against Budget House Rangers on Saturday being one of two postponed, due to ground conditions at English Park, Halswell took the chance to move eight points clear with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Woolston W.M.C. at Garrick Park.

Brighton has a match in hand, but failure to beat Halswell next Saturday will almost certainly end its hopes of the title, and a place in the league play-off with the winner of the Otago-South-land zone. Woolston did not make it easy for Halswell on a greasy, soft pitch at Garrick Park. Woolston had a good recent run of results to enhance, but could not pose a serious threat to the Halswell goal until the closing minutes. Baisweil’s defence generally did a good job of bottling up Woolston’s flank attackers, Mike Millward and Neil Lilley. However, at the other end, Halswell found room down its left wing, and both the left back, Jim Taylor, and the striker, Mel Jones, caused problems.

What chances were created in the first half came from Halswell. The veteran fullback, Alan Smith, blocked a Mike Mulcahy header on the Woolston line. Mulcahy sent a low shot into the side netting, and both Derek Jones and Graham Thompson had to clear balls off Woolston’s line.

Halswell got the goal it wanted early in the second half after a period of solid pressure. After Smith had put the ball just over his own cross-bar attempting to clear, the ball fell to the sweeper, Mike Fullen. His shot, from 12 metres, seemed to take a deflection, and skidded through the legs of Woolston’s goal-keeper, Alastair McCosh, into the goal. Mulcahy. should have doubled the lead shortly before the end, when he broke clear, but opted to pass rather than shoot. Thompson, for the second time, had to clear the ball off the Woolston line. Although Woolston gave a solid performance until it reached the attacking third of the pitch, Halswell just shaded it throughout to tighten its grip at the top of the table.

Classique Technical continued its good mid-season form with a 3-2 win over the third-placed Shamrock at Ensors Road. Three of the five goals came from penalties.

A defensive error was capitalised on by Shamrock’s Steve Neill to put his team ahead, but Simon Myers had equalised by half-time, with a near-post header from a good cross by the right back, Brent Webster.

Terry Neville put Technical in front early in the second half from the penalty spot, after a Scott Sinclair shot had hit a Shamrock hand. The bustling midfielder added a second penalty when Angus Neave broke down the right and was fouled as he got into the Shamrock penalty area.

Just before the end, Webster gave away a penalty, and after Neil Caswell had parried Neill’s penalty shot, the striker scored from the rebound.

South Canterbury United broke its home-ground jinx when it beat Nomads United, 4-2, for its first success in Timaru this season. In its two league clashes with Nomads this winter, South Canterbury scored eight goals.

Nomads’ prospects were considerably diminished when the veteran midfielder, Kees Doornenbal, was sent off within the first 15 minutes of the game.

Yet Nomads took the lead through Bruce Scott early in the second half, making use of his speed and a good through ball. Barry Austin equalised with a well-placed shot; Neville Cox put South Canterbury ahead picking up another through ball; while Peter Woods increased the lead with about 20 minutes remaining. Paul Brown brought Nomads back in the game with a firm shot, but Cox made sure of the points with

an opportunist strike near the end. He scored his third goal, with a header, a moment after the referee had blown the final whistle, thus ruling the goal out. KLM Cashmere and Sharp Copiers Western had their match postponed. Technical and Nomads will meet at English Park, weather permitting, on Wednesday evening, in a match brought forward from Saturday. On Sunday, Technical has its Le Coq Sportlf Chatham Cup quarterfinal against Christchurch Brother United. HERTZ LEAGUE

©Three points deducted. One premier grade match was postponed on Saturday, between Nomads United and Moorhouse Mazda > High School Old Boys. In other games, Rangers pulled off a surprise by beating Christchurch United, 4-2; Cashmere edged out the second-placed Lion Insurance Western, 3-2; Shamrock beat Woolston, 1-0; while Burndale United overcame Riccarton, 2-1. PREMIER LEAGUE

P W D L F A Pt Halswell 15 12 1 2 37 13 37 Brighton 14 9 2 3 23 8 29 Shamrock 14 7 3 4 24 16 24 Technical 15 6 4 5 23 20 22 Rangers 14 5 3 6 17 20 18 Nomads 15 4 5 6 24 30 17 Woolston 15 5 4 5 22 20*16 Sth Canty 14 5 1 8 26 39 16 Cashmere 14 4 2 8 18 26 14 Western 14 2 1 11 18 37 7

P W D L F A Pt Burndale 16 16 0 0 47 9 48 Western 16 10 1 5 32 24 31 Shamrock 16 8 3 5 23 15 27 H.S.O.B. 15 8 2 5 30 24 26 Chch Utd 16 8 1 7 46 28 25 Riccarton 16 7 1 8 30 29 22 Cashmere 16 6 4 6 24 29 22 Rangers 16 3 1 12 20 32 10 Nomads 15 3 1 11 16 41 10 Woolston 16 1 4 11 7 44 7