SOCCER

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 141, 16 June 1928, Page 22

SOCCER

By ' VANGUARD"

CHATHAM CUP ELIMINATION MATCHES "WHO WILL REPRESENT WELLINGTON'? . The' first round of ' Chatham Cup matches resulted-in good games. Tho teams eliminated wero Thistle) Diamond, and Hutt. Those who are still left in the competition are Petone, V.M.C.A., Marist, and Hospital. Hospital had a bye on Saturday, so they havo yet to play their match. It is not anticipated that they will progress further than the first round. Of last Saturday's games, it must havo caused surprise to see Thistle go down to Petone to the tune of 3 goals to nil. Thistle have been playing solid football lately, and it was not anticipated that Potone would obtain the' decision from them by such a margin. The most interesting gamo was that between Diamond and V.M.C.A., and as V.M.C.A. had beaten Diamond tho previous week the meeting was looked to with more than ordinary interest. Young Men won by a goal after extra time had been played. Marist easily disposed of Hutt. It seems likely that Marist and V.MC.A. will'play off to decide who .shall represent Wellington in the competition. There is always Potono to be reckoned with, though, and if tho suburban sido produces good form, it should bo a hard proposition. Diamond and V.M.C.A. The standard of, play in the match between Diamond and Y.M.O.A. at tho Basin Eeservo was not high, although there were incidents which brought the spectators to their feet at .times. In tlio actual run of tho play thore was little to choose between the teams, and it was only a stubborn defenco which allowed V.M.C.A. to leave tho field victors by a .margin of one goal. If anything, the Diamond forwards played botter football than tho VIM.C.A, forwards, but their shooting was weak and without good shooting it is impossible to win matches. Anton, who has not been, showing his best form this season, was tried out in the inside loft position, Smith taking the centre,, but the ox-Brooklyn man was never dangerous. At no stage of tho game did he appear to ,be really at homo, and ho missed two almost certain goals through slowness into getting into position. Smith, who in previous games had shown a tendency to crowd in on the centre forward, made quite a good pivot on Saturday, but ho was hampered by the almost uncanny certainty, with - which M'Girr dealt with every attack. Stark', on tho left wing, played another solid game, and on present form this1 player should have no .difficulty in : retaining his place in the 'team. There is certainly not a better left wing in "sight at the present time. Daiiiells .played his usual steady game, taking ii prominent part both in attack and defence, but his partner on the right wing, M'Leod, was a.little below, form. Findlay and T. Wetherspoon played well in tho half line, and Guest and G. Wotherspoon mado a solid pair of backs. Ewirig, in goal, was patchy, and showed too great an. inclination to fall on tho ball. These tactics cost' Diamond at least one goal. Tho outstanding player on tho V.M.C.A. side was M'Girr, who played ono of his best games to date. He was a thorn in the sido of tho Diamond forwards every time they got near the danger zone Lucas, tho Y.M.C.A. goalkeeper, also played a groat game, and many of his saves wore littlo short of miraculous. His dives to tho1 corner of the goal wero highly spectacular. Ballard, Eeyling, and Pearson wcro a solid trio in the half-line. All the forwards played woll, with Dempster and AVorth the outstanding figures. A Close Call. Watcrsido have been experiencing a good season this year, but on Saturday the team very nearly met disaster at the hands of Brooklyn. Formerly Brooklyn was a combination which could bo rolied upon to give a good account of itself, but. in recent seasons it has not maintained its strength. Howover, on Saturday, when it met one of the leading teams in the Senior B competition, the Brooklyn side gave an exhibition of football which showed that tho team retains its old'spirit. Plainly, Brooklyn were unlucky not to win. They led for tho greater part of the time, and had not they been unlucky in putting the ball through their own goal it is probable that they would have left tho field victors. Waterside scored first, through one of the opposing backs dellecting the ball into his own net, but tho Bcores were quickly evened, and then Brooklyn took the lead and held it till half-time was called. In the second half: the scores camo quickly, with Brooklyn enjoying an advantage, and then Watcrsido drew love!. Almost or the call of time Waterside scored and won by tho odd goal in seven. A feature of tho gamo was the fine performance of the Brooklyn forwards, who, in tho first spell particularly, gave the Waterside goalkeeper a great deal of trouble. The two • wings, M'Ardlo and Morris, wero conspicuous, the latter being responsible 'for some very fine touches. The inside men and the centre all did well, and tho bustling tactics of the entire line kept Waterside on the defensive. Tho halves, Hanson, Winter, and Sutton, mado a helpful trio, and contributed largely towards the success of tho, forwards. Tho backs wero not all' that could bo desired. The goalie, though at times very hard pressed, gave a satisfactory display. IVSfatcrside fielded a strong team, but it*was not till the second half of the : game was reached that tho sido settled down to anything approaching serious play.. To a great extent the victory must be attributed to tho efforts of Boltonand Irwin, who, as a pair of backs, were called on a great deal. In tho first half they had a lot. of work to do, and generally they did it well. Boe, iv goal, was kept very busy in the first half, and he brought off some fine saves. Of tho. forwards, Dunsmuir showed that he was a handy scoring man at inside right. His was tho odd goal that gave his side the match. Generally though the team did not give tho display it usually gives. Thistle and Petone. Playing in tho Chatham Cup composition, Potono and Thistle met again on the former's ground last Saturday. A great contest ensued, both sides playing keen football. Petono finished winners by threo goals to nil. On the play in the first half there was not much to chooso between the teams, but iv the second spell the Potone forwards and halves dominated the game. ];'or all their valiant efforts Thistle could not score. Their front line,, although ably supported by their halves, did not shino particularly as a combination. It was well hold by the Petono defence. Two penally kicks awarded to Thistle, »o«=ra!TOSi«fSO*"!>'I™-.T^''x^r»?. -ii.;1 ■'-. /.■."■•""j-K-r-I*-— —

II— J) I oiio ut llio commencement of the play I and llio other during tlio second liali', gave Ihe team two glorious opportunities to score, but in neither case was tlio kick successful. Tlio first one, taken by Lothian, was sent well over the bar .and the second went straight into -M'Veau's arms. Petono's first goal in the second half was a debatable one. From a mix-up in the goalmouth Stobbs drove hard and low and the ball found the back of the net. The question arose as to which side of the post the ball had travelled. The referee, however, decided that it was a goal. Fletcher, in goal for Thistle, gave his Usual polished display, while the full-backs were an excellent pair. The halves were a good trio, combining with and feeding their forwards. The forwards, individually, were better than in combination. The- wingers put in some useful work, Cunningham especially, making good efforts.' Lothian did not appear to be quite on his game. For Petone, M'Vean ,was safe between the posts: Steel and Haines were an excellent pair. Early in tho match tho latter was responsible for some erratic kicking, but he soon settled down to a steady game. Campbell, at centre-half, played superbly. He was never bustled and made some fine openings for his forwards. Several times he narrowly missed goaling. Farquhar and M'Kee also had their share of the game. In the vanguard, Stobbs, Hunter, and Leslie provided most -of the interesting play, Stobbs ,in particular, demonstrating his value as a winger. Leslie, although well marked by Thistle, could not be repressed and was a trouble to them throughout the game. Marist Beat Institute. The Marist-Institutc match played at Scatoun Park last Saturday was not above the ordinary, and the score of 5-3 was a fair enough indication of how the game went. A strong southerly wind accompanied by frequent showers of rain did not permit of much in the way of finished combination, and play for the most part was loose and open. Marist, who were the first to goal; hold the lead throughout tho game except for a short time when tho score stood at 3-all. Institute appointed unlucky in not netting more than thrco' goals, while Marist also, for one reason or another, did not get so many goals as they could have...Hickey, the Marist custodian, did not disgrace him-. self. Towards the end of the game ho did good work in saving frequent shots from tho Institute halves; Fitzgerald and Eudolph were a safe pair of backs, while Burke and Thomas at left and contro half respectively were the life and soul of tho team, whether in attacking or defending. Of tho forwards, Cudby and Durning executed some pretty movements, with Barton and Condon also conspicuous. Institute's goalie, Rogers,'- showed to advantage, stopping many difficult shots from the opposing vanguard. Considering' the greasy nature of tho ground and tho ball, both goalies gave good displays. The-Institute full-backs, Gill and Bell, played their usual dependable game, while the halves, Byng, Coronno. and Eustcrholtz, were a forceful trio, noticeable in tho latter,part of the match for their attack on the goal. Dickenson forced tho pace-at the cen-tre-forward position, with May and Maddocks' ably supporting him. These three were responsible for goals. The general run of tho play was neither brilliant nor. weak, and called for little comment. . Personal. Mr. Olsen, who is well known in Soccer football circles in Napier and who is leaving shortly for Wellington, having been transferred on promotion, was mot by the members of tho Napier Bangers' Football Club on Saturday and presented with a set. of military hairbrushes as a small token of the esteem in which he is held by his club mates (states an exchange). Mr. T. Atkinson in making the presentation said that not only the club but all thoso who wcro interested in Soccer would regret Mr. Olsen leaving them, although at tho same time they would be. pleased to know of his promotion. He had been a very active member of the club and had successfully carriel out his duties of secretary of the association. It was hoped that he would prosper in his now sphere and still continue to take the same keen, interest in. Association football.' Mr. Olsen suitably respendod.. Ordering Off. This season has been notable for tho number of players who have been ordered to view games from the side-line in consequence of offences committed on tho field of play (says the Auckland Star). Already tho newly constituted Judical Committee has had to deal with a dozen cases, and this had raised the question in tho minds of several club representatives as to whether the referees are not perhaps unconsciously less tolerant this season because of the new circumstances than they have been. The sentences recommended by the Judical Committee and confirmed by. the Management Committee of tho A.F.A. cannot be said to have been in any way drastic, and tho numbor of reprimands and one -week sentences passed might bo taken to indicate that the offences wcro considerecT by tho adjudicators as more or loss trivial. Clubs are inclined to think that the ordering off is probably overdone, and it was stated at tho weekly nleeting of tho management on Tuesday by a club delogato that something ought to be done regarding the matter. The delegato contended that the attitudo of some of the referees is such as to bring the codo to something of the vigour of basket ball. There is certainly something to be said in support of this view, and an important contributory factor in this respect is tho difference in the interpretation of the rules which exists between the referees. "While it is perhaps impossible for referees' minds, unlike other' groat minds, to think alike, nevertheless some- attenrpt suould be mado by tho Referees' to attain uniformity amo'ugst their members. Some of tho irritability which is engendered during tho course of many of tho games in Auckland, as elsewhere, can bo traced to administration of the rules, and while differing from the knight of the whistle in such a way as to be objcctionablo is inexcusablo in any player, that -is not an excuse why efforts' should not be made by referees ■to unify their ideas of interpretation of tho laws of the game. Passing the Ball. In the hustle and bustle of modorn football there is ofton only one alternative to an indifferent sort of pass, and that is 3io pass at all (tho writer continues). Even though wo caunol attain the ideal, however, the attempt at the ideal in the method of passing tho ball should bo mado. On the manner tho ball is passed from one player to another depends the smoothness and the effectiveness of a movement. Strictly speaking, it is the business of the player who is passing tho ball to sco to it that the object'is easily "gathered" by his colleague. Therefore, a pass which is mado with the ball which lias a lot of spin on it is a bad ono. The spin may beat tho man who is receiving the ball, and oven if tho receiver is not actually beaten by tho spin,

ho will or' necessity spend vital moments in bringing the ball under control. For the ordinary short pass tho .ball should be "shoved" rather than kicked. Don't use the toe iv making a pass, but (lie sido of the boot. The too of the boot measures only a couple of inches or so; the side of the boot is ten" or twelvo inches. When the toe is applied, spin is likely to be given to the ball, but when it is propelled by the side' of tlio boot a big part of the surfaco of the ball is covered, and, consequently, there is little or no twist on itOf course, the pass should be made along the ground if possible, and in such :i way that tho receiver can take it in his stride. It is no use any team having a couple of fast: wing men if these men aro constantly brought back to pick up a pass. Send tho ball along ahead of them so that they can take it as they run. And always try, when giving a pass, to make tho ball beat an opponent instead of making the passin such a way that your colleague is faced by one of tho opposition. In modern football the push pass down the middle is one of the most effective moves. It should be made so that the centre-forward . can dart between the backs to pick up the ball—a thing which is. ever so much easier for him to do than if he has to beat the backs. Half-backs and forwards should always try to draw an opponent before the pass is made. Crisis in Auckland. A grave crisis in the affairs of the Auckland Football Association was.precipitated- in Auckland this week, when the Thistle Club announced its withdrawal from the competitions under the ..■jurisdiction of the A.F.A. (states the "Star"). This decision was conveyed to tlie Management Committee'by Mr. Pickering, chairman of the Thistle Management. Committee, aud Mr. M'Arthur, secretary, just after ten o'clock, when the A.F.A. Management Commit.tee had completed the business of the evening. . The decision of Thistle, shoukVit be acted upon,' will be a severe blow to tho code in general, and cannot be viewed otherwise than in the light of •a serious matter from the point of view of the association, as Thistle, this season as well as last, havo proved tho most potent draw in -tho gamo in the city. The climax came as the outcome j of unfortunate incidents in the match at Devonport last week,'when Thistle sustained their second defeat of the season, and by tho'team at the bottom of the competition—Belmont. During the progress of the game M. Kay, Thistle's outside-left, was ordered to the pavilion by the referee, Mr. I. M. Wilson, and by the Judicial Committee Kay was suspended for two playing j Saturdays on a charge of disputing the referee's decision. • . "A Star Chamber." "The Judicial Committee, of the A.F.A. is nothing if not a Star Chamber tribunal, its. deliberations being in secret, aud not open to the Press (tho report continues). This body was-con-stituted at the last annual meeting of the Association, and is at the .present time more or less in tho experimental stage. . . The findings of 'the Judicial 'Committee, based on evidence adduced, are forwarded to the Management Committee of the A.F.A. in tho shape of recommendations. These, on being adopted, are forwarded to the New Zealand Council for final confirmation or otherwise, ahycpitomc.of each ■case accompanying tho decision of the A.F.A. So far as tho case of Kay is concerned, the exact nature of his disputing of the refereo/s, decision, .that is to say, the language used,-has, not been disclosed. A player is allowed to ask a referee for an" explanation of a decision, but cannot.-dispute- the ruling.. There is strong support .for tho Thistle Club, and for the player in the fact that,at tho meeting not only were practically all his club-mates in attendance to give evidence, but the accredited and authorised d'olegate of tho Bolmont CJub asked permission to testify in favour of' tho Thistle player. Thistle's complaint, however, goes further than' the incident of the ordering-off of Kay, and representatives of the "club management and most of the senior team waited on the management of the A.F.A. as a deputation regarding the control of tho Belinont game in question, and on the matter of refcrecing in general, It was contended that on Saturday the club was repeatedly, and, it is-alleged, deliberately, denied its rights. Behind their complaint is an alleged personal disagreement with the referee in question, who was formerly a Thistle player. Direct Action. "The withdrawal of Thistle from the Association, howeyor, following the suspension of Kay, is the employment of direct action against seeking constitutional remedy. The decision to withdraw may havo been come to precipitately, when the officials and players who were at the headquarters of tho A.F.A. wcro smarting under what was considered a gross miscarriage of justice. From a club point of view it is doubtful if such a drastic action cair be taken without a duly called and constituted general mooting of the members. Apart from that domestic aspect, however, is the phase that, granted that Thistle wished,to protest against the suspension of Kay, it has its remedy in another direction; that is, •in an. appeal to the New Zealand Council, who havo the right to reverse any finding of an affiliated body after'hearing tlie evidence brought by any player or club! . . As has been stated, the evidence on which the Judicial Committee based their finding is unknown to any but those concerned in the secret conclave, but such action as the Thistle have taken when thero was a clearly defined and constitutional road to rectitude, rather tends to alienate support and sympathy tho club might otherwise have hold. "If the decision of the referee were disputed, Kay has not been harshly dealt with, for he made his second appearance before the Judicial Committee for verbal exchanges with referees, in the light of which two playing Saturdays -is far from excessive. The surrounding conditions, however, cannot bo overlooked, and the precipitate action of the club in withdrawing has debarred anything further in the nature of an inquiry into the club's allegations, and tho control of the match in general being undertaken. If, as tho club alleges, the reforeo was incompetent, it is a great pity they did not take the constitutional method of bringing this fact to tho knowledge of the powers that be." . No Transfer. Consideration ■ was given at the weekly meeting of the Managament Committee of tho Wellington Football Association to the action of M'.Kee in playing for Petonc in the Chatham Cup match last Saturday. M'Kee was formerly a Waterside player, and the W.F.A, granted his transfer on the condition that he was financial. At the W.F.A. meeting tho Waterside Club advised that M'Keo was unfinancial. It was stated that the Petone Club had taken a verbal admission that M'Keo was financial, and that they wouia not havo played him had they known that he was unfinancial. After discussion it was decided that the player should bo suspended from playing further games, and that the matter bo brought up again at tho next meeting. To Other Clubs. Tho following transfers were granted at this week's meeting of the Wellington Football Association: A. Brown, from Brooklyn first B to second A division; M. Sullivan, W. Quirkc, and R Plimmcr, from Marist seventh to eighth division; J. Cook, from Marist sixth to seventh division; J. Telford, from first A to second A,- Seatoun.