Home record key to soccer win

Press, 9 April 1988, Page 88

Home record key to soccer win

By

GARY BIRKETT

The key to winning the

Air New Zealand national soccer league will be the home record built up during the season, according to the Christchurch coach, lan Marshall, who wants to at least match last season’s record cf 11 wins from 13 home games at Queen Elizabeth II Park. Christchurch lost two early home games last season but ;went on to build a formidab! e record. “That I home record really is the key, ’ said Mr Marshall. | “That was the big difference astl year from previous yt ars. Win-

j ning so many games at home set us up for the last month of the season. Draws are not good, they i can hurt you.” Christchurch’s first I home game this season is i tomorrow against the i league newcomer, i Waikato United, which [ drew, 0-0, with &£Lamar I in the first rou’ • last week-end. It has ’umber of 'ced national leaguj l —ampaigners, former South Qi J’oury and Nelson ” Graham Jones.'-. j" Its vastly gZMienced coach, Roger wilksnson,

has also attracted three notable imports. Darren Beckford,! a striker, played several league games for Manchester City; Brian Hayes, a defender, played for Caenarvon in its F.A. Cup run a few years ago and Darren Melvile, a midfielder, is the former England under 18 captain. Mr Marshall reported that all [ of the Christchurch squad was fit and he would have the difficult choice of who to leave out

Its l-0i win over Hutt Valley in the first round was its eighth consecutive

win in the league and matched the club record of 13 consecutive matches without defeat. If Christchurh beats Waikato it will beat Mount Wellington’s record of eight wins in succession set in 1971 and 1979. Mr Marshall was well pleased with the side’s display against Hutt Valley, saying it should have been 3-0 up by halftime. i “In the second half we lost Gary Lund and Jo Verweij with injuries and that disrupted -our pattern a wee bit” Ottjer games are:—

Manawatu v. Gisborne; Mt Wellington v. Wellington; Manurewa v. Hutt Valley; Miramar v. Papatoetoe; Mt Maunganui v. North Shore; Napier v. Nelson. In the southern league today the two most appealing matches are between Western and Mosgiel at Western Park, which will feature Mike McGarry in action for Mosgiel, and Christchurch v. Dunedin City at English Park. The other matches are:—Caversham v. Burndale; Oamaru v. Rangers; South Canterbury v. Technical. 1