Chch takes national soccer lead

Press, 26 September 1988, Page 36

Chch takes national soccer lead

By

GARY BIRKETT

Christchurch took a giant step toward retaining its national league soccer title when it shot three points clear of Mount Wellington at the top of the table by beating Manurewa, 24, at Queen Elizabeth II Park yesterday.

While Christchurch was completing a hard fought win the Mount was sliding to a 2-1 defeat against Miramar at Wellington, leaving the defending champion three points clear with three rounds remaining. The two leading sides meet at Auckland on Saturday evening in a match which looks likely to live up to its “game of the season” billing. The Mount, which has taken only one point from a possible nine in its last three matches, needs a win to keep its chances alive but a win to Christchurch would virtually ensure it of back-to-back titles for the first time. It would then be six points clear and would need only a point from its last two games against Wellington United (away) and Gisborne City (home) to seal the $20,000 first prize. For a long time yesterday it looked as if lan Marshall’s side was not going to topple the plucky Manurewa outfit. The Auckland side is twelfth on the points table but belied that position with a skilful and committed display, being a trifle unlucky not to force a draw. Christchurch rather ambled through the first half, Mr Marshall describing the opening 45 mins as “lazy," but a powerful second half by the home side lifted it to its eight-, eenth victory of the season.

Its first scoring chance came after 15min when John Hanson headed a Paul Nicholls corner on to the bar. The rebound was smashed goalwards by Garry Lund but the impressive Manurewa goalkeeper, Triss Clark, who easily won its man of the match award, blocked his shot. Four minutes later Christchurch broke through for its first goal. Ceri Evans, playing his last home game before taking up a Rhodes scholarship at Oxford University, took a long throw from the right and Hanson’s near post header drifted across the goal to Keith Braithwaite. The Christchurch skipper making no mistake for a 1-0 lead.

In spite of some promising build-ups Christchurch could not add to its tally

and a fine goal by Manurewa in the last minute of the half tied the scores. Siggy Kerbers found space in the midfield and sent Paul Rosser down the left, his cross picking out Mark Armstrong whose header gave the Christchurch keeper, Alan Stroud, no chance. . Manurewa opened the second half in positive style, the action swirling around in Stroud’s goal mouth, but it was soon the turn of Christchurch to dominate. Evans headed over from close in; Steve Sumner had a left-footed drive turned away by Clark and Braithwaite had a good header cleared off the line in a sustained attacking period which brought no reward. Manurewa also scared the vocal home crowd, Gary Hampson having a certain goal denied him when Kevin Calder, racing back in cover, got his knee in the way of his header after Kerbers had beaten the fullback, Paul Hillis, and crossed. An announcement over the loud speaker that Miramar was leading the Mount seemed to lift Christchurch’s performance and, after Hillis had been denied a rare goal when Clark superbly turned his fierce shot behind, Sumner should have wrapped up the match. He made up for that miss however, engineering a fine goal with Braithwaite from a free kick

on the left edge of the box. Sumner stepped over the ball and Braithwaite, surprisingly left out of the All Whites team to play Australia, curled a tremendous free kick around the wall and beyond the stranded Clark for a 2-1 margin after 70mins. Braithwaite now has 17 goals for the season, putting him one behind David Chote, of Miramar, in the race for the Golden Boot award. Mr Marshall was a relieved man after the final whistle. “I thought we had a lazy first half but a great second half. Their keeper (Clark) was brilliant and I don’t know how many times we have hit the bar here this season. The goals must be lower here.” He was impressed with

the quality of Manurewa’s play, saying it had obviously been pumped up for

a big game. “When you are the defending champions that is the price you have to pay. “Things are still the same, next week is still the big game. If they beat us it could come down to goal difference and the Mount is better.” Christchurch appears to have one hand on the league trophy and victory over the old enemy on Saturday will just about ensure that the Rams clinch a fifth league championship. A penalty by the Miramar striker, David Chote, sent Mount Wellington crashing to a 2-1 defeat in Wellington in a disappointing match. While the Mount held the upper hand for much of the game it did not look championship winning material, according to a veteran soccer journalist who covered the match.

The Mount took the lead after three minutes when Ricki Herbert headed in a Noel Barkley cross but Chote equalised before half-time after a break from defence. The Mount went close several times in the second half, Richard Miranda hitting the bar and having a header cleared off the line, while the keeper, Mike Utting, made some fine saves. A shot which struck the Mount defender, Marty Felton, on the arm led to a penalty being awarded by the referee, Barry Tasker, and Chote made no mistake with 20 minutes left. At the other end of the table Nelson United was humbled, 4-1, by the inform Hutt Valley at Nelson, while Papatoetoe kept Manawatu United close to the relegation zone with a 2-1 victory at home.

In other games Mount Maunganui beat Gisborne, 2-1, North Shore drew, 1-, 1, with Waikato and a late Gary Parker goal earned Napier a 1-1 draw with Wellington United. P W D L F A Pt

Chch 23 18 3 2 55 13 57 Mt Wgtn 23 17 3 3 60 17 54 Mt Mating. 23 13 6 4 45 30 45 Wgtn 23 10 4 9 52 43 34 Miramar 23 10 4 9 44 39 34 N. Shore 23 10 3 10 40 40 33 Napier 23 10 3 10 41 42 33 Waikato 23 9 5 9 34 27 32 Hutt V. 23 8 6 9 26 31 30 Gisborne 23 8 4 11 40 39 28 Paptoe 23 8 3 12 25 41 27 Manurewa 23 6 3 14 27 61 21 Manawatu 23 4 3 16 28 64 15 Nelson 23 3 4 16 23 53 13