Stroud enjoys guarding goal

Press, 30 July 1986, Page 36

Stroud enjoys guarding goal

Only one team, Masport Mount Wellington, can better Christchurch

Brother United’s defensive record in this season’s Rothmans Soccer League. In the 15 rounds played, the Auckland club has conceded 11 goals, while United’s 18 goals against has played a significant part in keeping alive its title challenge.

While the defensive unit of Paul Hillis, Cerl Evans, Gary Lund, Kevin Calder and the experienced Bobby Almond as sweeper, has taken the plaudits several times this winter, the man behind that quintet, Alan Stroud, deserves commendation for the part he has played. On at least two occasions —- against McKee Nelson United and last Sunday against University Cowan — Stroud kept United ahead when the men in front of him were guilty of slip ups. United beat Nelson by a solitary goal and, when leading University by the same margin, Stroud pulled off a string of outstanding saves which had a crucial bearing on the eventual 30 scoreline.

There is something of a Bruce Grobelaar about the prickly-headed Stroud, if not quite to the same extremes of the brilliant and the bizarre. Stroud clearly enjoys his goalkeeping duties.

Not afraid to leave his line, his handling of crosses is invariably sound, he has been seen

to roll the ball from one hand to the other behind his back and his blue-and-white striped Auckland rugby jersey earmark him as perhaps the most colourful of the goal-keepers In the league.

But for all his increasing proficiency, Stroud has an impressive streak of versatility. He first played soccer for his brother’s tenth grade Ponsonby team as a seven-year-old ring — "left wing, in Roman sandals.” For three seconds, he played for Mount Eden, then had a year of rugby with Northcote as a flanker or a wing. “We had 25 kids, so it was half a game every two weeks. It was awful.” Back to soccer, with Takapuna, the Northcote College first XI, then Birkenhead, until Stroud, seemingly set for a career, guarding the goal, went to Dunedin in 1980 to do a diploma in physical education. He joined Wickliffe Press Dunedin City in 1981, sat on the substitute’s bench as the club won the Chapham Cup final against Mount Wellington, spent a second season in the second team, as understudy to that remarkable veteran, Jim Taylor, who is still defending Dunedin’s last line, and broke his wrist in a practice game a week before the opening league match of the 1983 season.

Within a fortnight, he was on the field, at left back, and stayed there for the rest of the season. In 1984, he came to Christchurch and joined Sharp Copiers Western. The coach, Ton Healing, asked Stroud what position he played. Quick as a flash, the answer: “Striker.” He scored six times, before switching to Christchurch Brother United, still in the frontline, last winter. He held his place, scoring a goal against Landbase Papatoetoe, until mid Way through the season, when the goalkeeper, Steve Baker, resigned from the first team. In stepped Stroud, for his first game in goal since breaking his wrist over two years earlier. Within 45 minutes, United was 3-0 down, after having produced its worst soccer of an up-and-down season. Stroud, the optimist, took the view that “things could only get better.”

By the end of that season, however, Stroud had been named in a young New Zealand team to tour the Middle East on a joint trade-sport mission. That badly-organised venture was called off, but Stroud then won a place in the All Whites squad to play Russia in Christchurch earlier this year, only to suffer an injury in the week before the match.

All of which shows that people in important positions in New Zealand soccer rate Stroud as a prospect worth keeping an eye on. Should he fulfil his ambition of winning full national selection, Stroud will emulate his father, Arthur.

Stroud sen. played eight

times for New Zealand while with North Shore. Seven appearances were on the inaugural world tour of 1964, but his most famous match was under lights at English Park on a rainy night three years later when Manchester United, which had just won the English first divi-

sion and was to win the European Cup a few months later, cut New Zealand apart to win, 110.

Alan Stroud paid tribute to his father’s help in his formative goal-keeping years. "He made me work really hard; he really pushed me at training. That was a big help because now if I don’t work hard at training I feel that there’s something missing."

But there is more to the cheerful 25-year-old teacher trainee than soccer. A senior grade tennis player, Stroud describes himself as a sporting “dabbler.” The possessor of a voice capable of stirring Blues Brothers renditions, Stroud became the butt of the good-na-tured jibes of a breakfast radio show when he took over in goal for United last year. Alan “Where did that one go” Stroud became “T.K.” (token Kiwi) — because Stroud was born in Aberdeen.

Relaxation is the key to Stroud’s work in goal, and his delightfully uncomplicated attitude seems to mirror his view on life.

“There’s no point getting wound up about anything. If you make a mistake it’s happened. If your head goes down there’s a high chance you’ll make another mistake, I can’t see any point getting riled about it. Just get on with the game and try to enjoy it.”

By

DAVID LEGGAT